


Stronger Than You Think

by Calico_21



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, Blood, Blood Drinking, Blood Loss, Blood and Violence, Crying, Fighting, First Dates, Fluff, Kidnapping, Killing, Kissing, M/M, Mates, Protective Rin, Protective Yamazaki Sousuke, Vampire Clans, Vampire Matsuoka Rin, Vampire Turning, Vampires, Werewolf
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-15
Updated: 2017-01-25
Packaged: 2018-07-15 06:50:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 46,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7212268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calico_21/pseuds/Calico_21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin was a vampire. He has super strength. He was so strong now.</p><p> He could break metal. He could break stone. He could break anything.  </p><p>He could break Haruka.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Here's a vampire!Rin fic. Hope you enjoy (:

Pain.

Pain like he never felt before.

There was so much of it.

Hot, white burning pain that spread and licked like wildfire through every nerve and bone of his body. It was untamable, and it was quickly taking control over him. Vaguely, he heard himself screaming, crying, begging for the pain to stop. He could feel it—the hot poison scorching his veins, his bones, to ashes; melting his fragile body. His back arched upwards, a raw cry torn from his throat, as another vicious cycle of agony shot through him once more. He felt his hands on either side of his body, fingers and nails already bloody from desperately clawing at the solid concrete beneath them, looking for a purchase.

He felt a cool hand touch his cheek for a fleeting moment—so flitting he almost thought it was his own imagination playing tricks on him in his delirious state.

But _no_ —it couldn't have been a product of his imagination.

_Because he remembered her._

He remembered the way she looked at him. Her skin was pale; her features all sharp planes and angles. She was so beautiful. It was almost as though she was one with the moon behind her, as she stared down at him—a creature out of this world. She had an aura that transcended the beauty of any mortal being. Her eyes were an inhumane silver under the moonlight, the light reflecting off of it at the correct angle, just so he could see a tinge of red by the pupil. He wanted to drown in them forever. Nothing else mattered.

Another excruciating stab of pain. His mouth opened in a silent cry, his body almost arching off the ground by now. The pain was too much. The edges of his vision started blackening as his body teetered on the precipice of consciousness. He wondered why no one had heard him yet, why no one had come to his rescue. No one except the stranger. And yet she stared at him, motionlessly, almost fascinated, making no effort whatsoever to ease the anguish.

The last thing that registered in his mind before he slipped away was the image of silver orbs that stared back at him, painting themselves in the insides of his eyelids, and her voice, like the sound of chimes and the laughter of leaves in the wind.

"It'll all be over soon."

\-----  
Red eyes blinked open.

Dust floated lazily in a single ray of sunlight that streamed into the room through a peek in the curtains. There was a strange sort of rare tranquility, Rin thought, as he took in the calmness.

A quiet sigh beside him. Warm legs brushing against his under the covers. A mop of silky black hair on his chest. Rin looked at Haru and felt something in his chest, just like how he always did every time he looked at him. He pulled Haruka forward, bringing their bodies impossibly closer. Haruka mumbled incoherently but remained sleeping.

He appreciated times like this, where he could almost forget who he was just for a moment. And there was almost never the pressure of needing to hide.

It almost seemed normal.

 

Almost seemed human.

 

\------

''Why are you always so gentle with me nowadays?'' Haruka had asked him once, when they were making out.

Rin was on the couch, and Haruka was lazily sprawled on top of him. Rin had one hand encircling Haruka's waist to stop him from falling off. It was a lazy afternoon and none of them really had any plans. A few minutes of slow kissing passed—both of them just enjoying each other's presence—before Haruka became impatient. He pressed harder against Rin's mouth, trying to coax the usual ferocity from Rin, but Rin had continued to kiss him softly, simply cupping a gentle hand on Haruka's cheek to slow him down. A few minutes of this and Haruka had let out a frustrated groan, pulling himself away from Rin.

Rin felt a twinge in his chest but he just shrugged in response. ''I don't know. Maybe I just don't want to hurt you.''

Haruka had laughed at that and kissed Rin's neck. ''I'm not going to break, you know.''

Rin looked away.

\-------

''Hey Haru?''

'Hm?'

''I love you, you know that right?''

Haruka had looked up from his laptop and smiled at Rin, totally oblivious and unaware. "Of course I do. I love you too."

''If-' Rin swallowed, ''if there was ever a day you find out that I'm not the same Rin you fell in love with, would you still love me?''

Haruka looked confused as if he couldn't quite indicate where the question was coming from. "Why wouldn't you be the same Rin?"

'I mean," A sigh fell past Rin's lips, "Never mind. I was just wondering out of curiosity.' Rin said, ignoring the lump that had formed in his throat.

"You're being weird." Haruka laughed and looked back at his laptop.

He didn't notice when Rin looked down at his lap dejectedly, tongue unconsciously running across his canines.

\-----

It was a Wednesday night. The moment Rin stepped through the door, he knew something was off. Haru should be asleep by now, but he wasn't. Instead, he was seated on the couch, staring blankly ahead, unmoving even when he heard Rin open the door.

"Haru," said Rin, puzzled.''it's late, I thought you would be asleep by now."

"Rin," Haru spoke, his voice was wistful and soft and his gaze faraway, as though he had not heard a word Rin had just said. "Do you love me?"

Now that caught his attention.

"What?" Rin dropped his keys in the table next to the door and put down his briefcase. "Haru, what brought this on? Of course I love you!" Did he even need to ask? Rin thought, his brows furrowing. Rin loved Haruka with every fiber of his being. He loved him to the very depths of his core. He loved him so much that it physically ached. "Haru, what's going on? Did something happen today?"

Haru was silent. His body was tensed, like a coil wound up too tightly. His mouth was pressed into a thin line and his fingers unconsciously curled into fists on his lap. He stared straight ahead at a spot on the coffee table.

"Haru—"

"You lied to me."

"What?"

"You told me you have meetings every Wednesday until late evenings.That's why you come home late." Haru kept his gaze leveled at Rin. "But I called your office today. You weren't there. Or the week before that either." His eyes narrowed. "There were never any meetings, were there?"

Rin felt his blood turn cold. "Haru listen to me, it's not what you think..."

"Stop lying to me already!" Haru yelled, startling Rin. " How dare you still try to deny it." He whispered brokenly, disappointment and sadness washing over his features. He held Rin's gaze for a second before his features hardened like stone. Turning around, he emptied out his backpack- small packets of red fell out and landed on the floor. Rin stared at them, horrified. There was no denying it now- the little packets even had labels and descriptions on them.

"At first, I thought you were cheating on me. And then I found these at the back of our closet and I...I don't know what to think." Haru's voice shook. "It's blood, isn't it?"

Rin was speechless. He didn't know what to say. This all seems like a bad dream. Maybe it was a bad dream, and in a few minutes, he would wake up from it and he would find himself on the bed with Haru sleeping right beside him, their warmth emanating under the covers. But a beat later, he was still rooted on the same spot, and the packets of blood were still lying mockingly on the floor, and Haru was still standing in front of him, looking at him expectantly for answers.

He cleared his throat. He might as well stop beating around the bush and get this over with, like ripping a band-aid off the wound.

"Yes." he said in resignation, and then he repeated it again, louder this time, "Yes, it's blood."

"Rin," Haru looked shocked, though he really shouldn't be, considering that he knew the answer from the very start. Maybe he just didn't expect Rin to agree so easily; he probably half-expected a fight. "you know you can tell me anything. Please be honest with me, are you in some kind of a cult, or something?"

"What?" Rin exclaimed.The question sounded so preposterous to his ears. A cult? Though he could not have blamed Haruka for coming up with this conclusion—it wasn't everyday you find bags of human blood stashed at the back of your shared closet. Unless your boyfriend was a murderer. Or some kind of crazy psychopath who has a secret fetish for blood, which Rin was eternally grateful Haru didn't come up with that theory. "I'm not in a cult."

"Then how do you explain this?"

Rip the band-aid. Just rip the band-aid once and for all.

"I'm a vampire."

There, he said it. The secret's out.

There was silence. Rin looked up and he was met with Haruka's stunned gaze, which slowly morphed to pure anger.

"Wow, " Haruka gave an unamused laugh. "Are you serious Rin? Do you take me as an idiot? I show my concern to you and this is what you tell me? Is this some kind of silly game to you for your sick pleasure?" He was raising his voice with every passing sentence until he was almost shouting. Rin almost cowered back. Haruka never shouted.

"Haru, I'm telling the truth." Rin stepped forward. He extended his wrist to him. "Feel my pulse."

"What?" The question took him off guard and Haruka looked at him, bewildered.

"Take my pulse. If I have one, then okay, I'm lying to you. But if not, then you'll know I'm telling the truth."

Haru glanced at him skeptically, but took Rin's wrist into his hands anyway. He pressed his index finger to the inside of Rin's wrist, and waited for the small _thump thump thump_ to appear.

Rin watched, holding his breath, as Haru's face changed from one of anger to confusion to a look of pure, unhidden fear.

"Wha—" He took in a ragged breath, staggering backwards and with his next words, though barely just a whisper, felt like he was hurling knives at Rin. "What are you?"

"I told you.'' Rin felt sick, "I'm a vampire."

Haruka looked like he was about to pass out. And Rin stepped forward, hands outstretched towards him, before Haru's next words stopped him completely.

"Who are you? What have you done to Rin?"

Rin has never seen Haruka wore such an expression before and to be honest, he was scared. He wasn't scared of getting hit, which was what Haruka looked to be about to do to him a few minutes ago. It was more of him fearing that he would lose the raven-haired boy that stood in front of him, that he would lose everything they ever had, that they ever shared, once Haru walks out of the front door.

He stared at his boyfriend with a mixture of shock and fear. His mouth opened and closed like a fish and yet no words arrived and filled the tensed silence in the room. He suddenly felt a pang of doubt of whether telling Haruka about who- what- he was specifically, had been the right decision to do.

"Haru..." Rin grabbed his shoulder, a futile attempt to Haruka to calm down.

"No!" Haru shrieked, flinching away from his hand. "Don't touch me!"

"Haru, I understand you're scared, but you need to calm down."

"No...I—I'm leaving."

"What?" Rin's eyes widened, and he looked in horror as his boyfriend went over to one of the cupboards, pulled out a duffel bag and began filling it up with his belongings. Haru wasn't even packing, he was literally throwing his stuff into the bag, his actions filled with urgency, desperate to get out of there. Out of this room. Away from Rin.

But Rin—Rin who was supposed to stop him; Rin who was watching his worst dreaded nightmares come true-the love of his life, walking away and out of his life forever- stood frozen at the spot, unable to speak; unable to move. He watched, as Haruka zipped up the bag and walked to the door.

"Haru." Rin came to his senses and he lunged forward. "I swear I'm telling the truth. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep this from you. I—I didn't plan for you to find out this way."

Haru turned around now, and the pools of fear in his eyes were momentarily replaced with hot, dangerous, blazing anger. He gritted his teeth, his fingers gripping the handle of his duffel bag so hard his knuckles were bone-white. "You mean you never planned for me to find out anyway, isn't that right Rin? Or should I even call you that?" He spat out the words as though it physically burned his tongue.

"No, that's not true." Rin reached out a helpless hand out to him, trying to calm down the raven-haired boy. He was shaking badly himself. "Haru... I know it's a little hard to believe, but I swear every word that I say is true. I _am_ a—"

"No." Haru cut in, "Don't say it. I don't believe you. It's not true.'

He turned around, ready to exit. His hand was already hovering above the knob of the door when Rin cried out, on the verge of tears, "Haru, please....don't leave." ~~Don't leave me~~.

"I just..."Haru stilled, his features softening. "I just need time to think." He swung opened the door, his head low. "Goodbye Rin."

\------

_"Goodbye Rin." Haruka said with a voice colder than ice, his eyes a void with nothing but disgust. Though not beating anymore, Rin thought he could feel his heart contract painfully in his chest. Haru turned around and opened the door, looking over his shoulder with an air of finality that he won't be coming back. Ever._

_"Haru," Rin approached him. He didn't even care anymore if he was begging at this point, "Haru, please just listen to me!" Rin reached forward, and in a state of panic, he grabbed Haruka's wrist, trying to stop him from whatever he was doing, when Haruka recoiled from the contact- physically flinched away from Rin, his eyes wide and filled with an unspoken, newfound fear. The intensity of it almost knocked Rin to the ground. He never thought that his boyfriend would ever look at him like that in all his life._

_"Don't touch me." Haruka's voice quivered, and Rin wasn't sure if it was out of fear or out of anger. He felt his strength wash away and he stepped back from Haru, mutely letting go of his hand._

_"You're not Rin." Haruka sneered. "You're a monster.''_

"Haru!"

Rin jolted awake, his blood was rushing through his ears so loud he could hear it in the cold, empty room. On instinct, his hand grappled beside him, only to be reminded with a pang, that Haru was no longer here.

''Haru...'' Rin moaned and curled in on himself in the dark, fists balling the sheets as he sobbed until there were no tears left.

\------  
_'Haru...I'm sorry. Please come back home. I love you.'_

_'It was all a mistake I swear, just come home and I'll explain everything.'_

_'I'm sorry for hurting you Haru. I never wanted to hurt you. I love you.'_

_Haru, please text me back to tell me you're okay.'_

_'I spoke to Makoto; he told me you're not at his place. Haru, please text me to let me know you're safe.'_

_'Haru, I swear I'm telling the truth. I'm so sorry for keeping it from you. You have every right to be angry, but please don't shut me out. I love you.'_

_'At least tell me that you're safe.'_

Rin stared blankly at the unmoving phone in his hands. He could feel the coldness of the wall seep through his flimsy shirt onto his back. He was sitting on the floor beside the front door, waiting for the echo of footsteps of the front door opening. Anything, to indicate Haruka coming home.

Four days.

Four days of waiting.

His stomach churned painfully, but he ignored it. It had been a while since he last consumed blood but how could he think of food at a time like this?

The burning in his stomach was so insignificant compared to the ache in his chest.

After all, he thought to himself, he was a monster.

And monsters deserved to be in pain.

\-----

The night was cold. Rin thought a good walk would refresh himself, both physically and mentally and send his hunger back to the deep recesses of his mind. But he was wrong. And only five minutes since he left his house, he was already starting to regret his decision. The unforgiving cold nipped at his skin, and it only enhanced his senses— he could hear every heartbeat, smell the strong delicious smell of blood, calling out to him, and for several times he had to pull his vision away from the pulse on a random person's neck when he realized he'd been staring.

It had been more than a week since he last fed. Or more than that—he couldn't remember. The days without Haru seemed more prolonged than it was in reality. A blur of hours, minutes and seconds. He couldn't bear to look at his blood supply at home, nonetheless consume it. Especially not after Haru had looked at them with such revolt. The little packets looked as though they were taunting him, and he had never felt more repulsed with himself since his first feeding as a vampire. He could still remember it—the taste of blood, like something foreign in his mouth but so good, as though it was always meant to be.

His throat burned and the cold air didn't help one bit. He pulled his sleeves further down his arms and yanked his collar up to his chin, shivering against the wind. A woman walked past, talking on her cell phone- the scent of rich, fresh blood in the air-and for a frightening second, Rin felt his control falter, his animalistic side taking over.

Something snapped within him. His inner demon clawed its way to the surface. He was hungry and he craved for blood. Warm blood straight from the source.

And he was going to get it.

His eyes darkened; he felt his fangs unsheathe through his gums, his eyes zeroing in his target. He took a deep breath, breathing in the honey-sweet scent of rich, crimson blood.

And was instantly snapped back into reality.

He blinked, the human side of him returning almost abruptly, before he could even realize what had happened.

A familiar scent was in the air.

A scent that was ingrained so deep into his senses he could smell it even if he was starving and standing among a sea of people.

_Haruka._

His head shot up. And his feet were suddenly moving on their own accord. He felt the urgency hit him like a freight train—the desperation to see the blue-eyed boy.

Following the scent, he was led through a maze of small side lanes until he reached the opening of an alleyway. A dead end. Rin's guard was up–something felt terribly off.

He stopped short at the sight in front of him. With his heightened vision in the dark, he could make out two figures.

There was Haru.

Haru whom he hadn't seen since the day he left. Haru, who still looked as beautiful as ever—the only ever person who could make Rin's still heart throbbed just from the mere sight of him. Haru, who broke him so badly when he stepped out of that front door in what seemed like ages ago.

Haru, who was pinned to the wall, with both his hands helplessly trapped under the other man's powerful grip.

He was struggling, almost crying now as the man—no, Rin mentally corrected himself, vampire— had his head tilted over Haru's neck, two glinting needle-like fangs poised over the vulnerable junction between Haru's neck and shoulder.

Rin saw red.

The world blurred around him. And all that went through his head was protect.

**_Protect._ **

It was only when he leaped forward did he realized something: that he had never truly understood before quite how fast a vampire could move; how their speed and strength should never be underestimated. All the stories about how dangerous and deadly vampires were, never truly registered to him until that moment. He felt the powerful muscles flex and tear in his legs, the bones in his ankles and feet crack—

And he was there, like an avenging angel under the moonlight gleams, all silver and white, shoving the other vampire away, faster than a blink of an eye, before the intruder could sink those fangs into what was his. He growled low in his throat, shielding a trembling Haru behind him, and bared his own fangs, warning the other to stay away.

 _"Don't you fucking touch him.”_ He snarled in a voice he didn't even recognize as his own. He heard Haru gasp in surprise. The human–rational part of Rin–was slightly surprised too, as this certainly had never happened before. But his vampire instincts reared up once again before he could give it a second thought. "He's mine."

The other vampire laughed, seemingly delighted at the sight of a challenge. Rin heard Haru's heartbeat speed up; felt him shiver behind him. He could understand why. Even when they're deadly, everything about their kind—these supernatural beings— were so captivating. They were horrible and beautiful at the same time, the same way there was something horrible and beautiful about poisonous snakes.

It only acted to fuel Rin's anger more. He growled again, a low but clear rumble in his throat.

"A vampire keeping his food as a pet." The other's eyes darkened. He cocked his head to the side, almost like he was trying to process what he was seeing, and grinned, showing his two glistening fangs. Rin heard Haru gave a small whimper at the sight. "How. Lovely." With that last word, his grin disappeared. His eyes turned completely black, taking up all the white.

Rin was thankful for his fast reflexes as it only took less than a second for the other vampire to lunge at the both of them. He grappled at the other vampire's neck, shoving him away. It was a dangerous dance; a flurry of claws and fangs. A fight for dominance and territory.

A fight to the death.

Rin was light, fast on his feet. He landed strikes and scratches left and right and yet he couldn't find a good entry to deliver the fatal blow. Much to his disadvantage, the other vampire was stronger than he was. The vampire turned to him just as he was going in for a punch, and Rin saw him smile. And then something hit him, and like a flimsy rag doll, he was lifted up into the air against his will, and flung to the side. He crashed into a wall, plaster and debris raining down on him as a jagged line appeared on the wall behind him. He crumpled at the base of it, gasping with breathlessness and pain. Vaguely, he heard Haru cry out his name.

Rin willed his every nerve, every bone of his body to get up. Get up. He struggled to raise himself up to his elbows. Blood pooled in his mouth and dripped to the floor. His whole body protested but it didn't matter because Haru needed him.

"Get off of me!" Haru yelled, his legs kicking out wildly.

Haru's voice was filled with so much fear and panic. It made Rin pushed himself up, his body crying out with every jolt and movement. When he blinked to clear his vision, he saw the other vampire, already cornering Haruka against the wall of the alleyway. Haruka looked like a frightened prey—which in a way, he was—with his eyes darting to and fro, looking for a way to escape.

Rin felt his claws and fangs elongate even further, a reaction solely evoked by the burning rage he felt within him. In a single swift movement, he slammed the other vampire against the brick wall, away from Haru, his instincts overriding his mind. With no warning, he rammed his hand through the enemy's ribcage, ripping his heart out. Rin saw the other vampire's eyes widened by a fraction, his mouth opening—to say something? Rin wasn't sure, because he never got the chance to find out— before the light died out of them and the vampire was reduced to a lifeless corpse staring straight ahead.

"Oh my god." Haruka made a choking sound at the gory sight.

Rin glanced down at his bloody hand, which was still holding on to the unmoving organ. And then at the dead body on the floor. He felt tired all of a sudden, like his body was being weighed down by a thousand bricks. All the past adrenaline and energy dissipate, leaving him weak all at once. His knees gave way and he collapsed on the floor, gasping. His throat burned. His vision blurred and darkened.

''Rin!"

He barely registered someone dropping to their knees down to the floor beside him, calling his name. Trembling but warm hands—oh, so warm in the chill—cupped his cheek gently and turned his head towards them.

"Rin, you're freezing!" Haru grabbed both his hands in an attempt to warm them up only to exclaim out in shock when he saw Rin's veins across the back of it; a stark topography against Rin's deathly pale skin, like cracks against marble. "Your hands...."

Rin knew the veins in his neck were evident- angry black chords protruding rebelliously, pushing against his skin. He could even feel them straining against his will, to the point where it was painful.  
"Rin, your eyes, they're so red..."

It was such an easy catch. Haruka was so close Rin could smell his blood; he could hear the steady thrum of his pulse. He wanted to grab Haru and sink his fangs into his neck. He wanted to taste the sweetness of Haru's blood as it dripped down in rivulets down his chin. He wanted to feel the ecstasy course through him as he relished in Haruka's screams....

_No!_

He drowsily shook away the urge, pushing himself further away from Haru. He couldn't bear the thought of inflicting pain upon the raven-haired boy but his instincts urged him to give in to the sweet temptation calling out to him just barely inches away. He wanted to tell Haruka to stay away from him, but he couldn't muster the energy to do so.

"Rin," Haru murmured, his thumb stroking Rin's cheek; eyes searching Rin's hooded ones. "When was the last time you...fed?"

"Hm?" His eyes were so heavy...Wouldn't it be so much easier for him to just close his eyes and succumb to sleep?

"Hey," Haru pat his cheek lightly. There was an undertone of panic and urgency under all that controlled calmness. "Don't fall asleep. Stay awake for me."

''When did you last feed?''

''Since the day you...you left.'' Rin answered sleepily.

Haruka's eyes widened. "That was more than a week ago! Rin, you need to eat."

Rin gave a humorless chuckle. It sounded weak and pathetic to his ears. ''It's okay, Haru.'' ~~I'm a monster. And monsters don't deserve to live.~~ "There's no blood here anyway."

Haru straightened up, a determined look on his face, "Yes, there is."

It took approximately three seconds for the words to register in Rin's mind, but his muddled thoughts were instantly cleared when it did. His eyes widened. Using the last of all the energy he could muster, he sat up, fighting against the lightheaded-ness that threatened to overtake him.

''No.'' He said, looking at Haru firmly to show that he meant what he said. ''Haru, I won't let you.''

''You're not in the right state to decide.'' Haru was already taking taking off his coat, leaving him only in his sweater. He shivered against the cold, but his features remained firm and decisive, without an inch of doubt.

Now that Haru was only in a flimsy fabric of cloth, the strong smell of blood hit Rin almost instantly, and an unwilling growl escaped him, his retracted fangs now sliding free against his control.

''No.'' He said loudly- forcefully- almost as though he was saying it more to himself instead of Haru. He pulled his body further away, claws scraping against the concrete. ''This isn't an option, I won't do it.''

''Rin, _please._ '' Haru begged, “You're going to die if you don't feed.''

''I won't do it.'' Rin rasped– who knew breathing could be such a difficult task? – "I won't hurt you."

''I'll be okay.'' Haru leaned forward. The scent of his blood was stronger than ever now. It was practically calling out to Rin. Rin squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to stay in place. He was physically shaking.

''You don't know that.'' Rin whispered. ''I can kill you.''

''You can,'' Haru whispered back, putting his forehead to his boyfriend's, silently willing Rin to open his eyes. ''But you won't.'' He murmured and placed his head on Rin's shoulder. An act of open submission. "You won't hurt me.''

''Haru, I— _I can't._ '' His voice cracked.

''Yes, you can.'' Haru pressed his cheek to Rin's jaw. 'Yes, you can.' He repeated himself, louder this time. ''You are so strong Rin, you are so strong...''

''Please?" Haru breathed out when Rin didn't move, 'Rin, please...''

"Okay," Rin surrendered, "okay."

He wrapped a hand around Haruka's torso, bringing him closer. Another arm threaded through Haru's midnight locks, and cradled his head carefully. He was treating Haruka as though he was the most fragile piece of china on Earth. He tilted Haru's head to the side, exposing his soft, milky skin. Rin could practically see his blood running through his vein. He took a deep, shuddering breath. His body, hungry and deprived, responded. His eyes darkened dangerously on their own accord. He saw Haru's eyes widened with more surprise than fear, before he lunged, and pierced the skin with his needle-sharp fangs.

Haruka gave a strangled yell and dug his nails into Rin's back.

Rin almost cried when the first taste of blood touched his lips. It was a gift sent straight down from the Heavens. It was the nectar of the gods. He could feel the warm liquid run down his throat; feel his strength returning with every gulp. Nothing tasted better. He wanted more. He wanted to drain his victim dry; drink every last drop. He could easily do it, he was so much stronger, so much more powerful.

_'You are so strong Rin...'_

Haru's blood was nothing he had ever tasted before. All the people he had ever fed on- they had nothing on the raven-haired boy. It was as though he was suffocating and now was inhaling great gasps of air. The taste of Haruka's blood was the key in setting Rin's inner-beast free from its confines. It was free now. It didn't want to go back. It didn't have to go back. What fun was there to be human anyway? He was powerful in this form. He could drink and drink and drink and no one can stop him.

_'So strong...'_

His teeth clamped down harder, and he gripped involuntarily tighter, as if to prevent Haruka from pulling away. But Haruka didn't try.

A hand stroked the back of his head tenderly.

"It's okay.''

It felt familiar.

'You're okay.''

Felt like home.

''Come back to me, Rin.''

He gasped, his humanity returning, hitting him full force and snapping him back into reality. His eyes widened as he stared down at Haru, his hand across his own mouth, and then he scrambled away hurriedly, trying to put as much distance between the both of them. Haru who seemed a bit pale and dazed but otherwise looking fine, touched his fingers to the wound. The two digits stained red.

Rin stared at him, then made a noise at the back of his throat. He hugged his elbows close.

''I'm sorry,' Rin said, "I'm so sorry."

''Don't apologize.'' Haru leaned forward, taking a few deep breaths to gather himself. ''I'm okay.'' He stood up— Rin watched carefully for any signs of wobbling but saw none—and picked up his discarded coat on the dirty floor. The bleeding on his neck had slowed, showing two angry punctured marks. Rin looked away.

''Come on,'' Haru extended a hand to help him up. ''Let's go home.''

\-----  
Rin was full, the dizziness that once threatened to overtake him was now gone and the burning in his veins had long disappeared. But a knot of guilt settled heavily on his chest the whole way home. He kept glancing at Haruka out of the corner of his eye, expecting something–anything–to happen. Haruka was taking this whole thing a little too calmly for his liking, and the silence between them was unnerving.

And now they were back home. Their home. With their coats draped at the back of the couch, both of them sitting opposite of each other; a wall of silence between them. Rin had excused himself to wash the blood off him. But the tension in the room when he returned, was suffocating. He knew they needed to talk but he couldn't bring himself to start. Rin was thankful when Haruka finally broke the silence first.

"Tonight, I was going to come home and apologize,' Haru stared down at his hands. 'It took a while but I realized how selfish I was—"

"No, you weren't—"

"Don't." Haru said, a little too harshly. His tone softened when he realized his mistake. ''I was, and there's no reason for you to deny it. I've been a horrible boyfriend. You had to keep something as scary and unknown as this a secret alone all this time, with no one to confide to. And when you finally decided to tell me, I turned my back on you. I acted as though I was the one suffering." He scoffed bitterly. "I'm the one person who was supposed to stand by you and I—" He broke off now, balling his fists up tightly on his lap.

"Hey," Rin stood up and went over to his boyfriend now, who was breathing harshly and working his lower lip raw. "Haru," he said gently, "Haru, it's okay."

"No it's not okay." Haru cried. "How can you even say that?"

Rin smiled softly, despite the situation and he cupped a palm on Haruka's cheek. "Because I love you. And I know you were scared at that time; I don't blame you at all. I shouldn't have kept it from you. I should have told you before you had to find out that way." Something flickered across his eyes and he turned away, and his smile faltered, though his hand was still cupping Haruka's cheek.

''Back there in the alley, you didn't stop me.''

''No, I didn't.''

''Why?'' When Haru remained silent, Rin pressed on. "Haru, I could have killed you."

Haru looked at him with the same determined look he had when he first suggested Rin feed on him. "I would have let you, you know."

Rin made a small noise of shock and his hand fell limply to his side.

"Tch," Rin muttered, "don't talk like that."

"Rin, I'm serious. I love you, even if you change, even if you're not the same person anymore, I'll still love you."

"That love's going to get you killed." Rin said. "I'm too dangerous to be around."

"Matsuoka Rin, are you even hearing yourself right now?" Haru's said, incredulity lacing his every word. "If it wasn't for you, I—I would have been dead by now. You saved me."

"And I almost killed you after that." Rin snapped back, "Like I said, I'm too dangerous to be around. I'll lose control and I'll hurt you and that's the last thing I would ever want to do."

"Tell me Rin," Haru's voice was small now. But it wasn't sympathy—it was pain. It pained Haru, Rin realized, to hear of Rin suffering. "For how long?"

''What?''

''How long has this been going on?" Haru swallowed hard. "How long has it been since you became a vampire?"

There was a pause as Rin tried to formulate an answer. He could hear Haru take in an intake of breath, and he knew his silence had already spoken too much. "Two years."

"Two years ago." Haruka let out a wet, shaky breath and closed his eyes. They remained closed when he spoke again. "When? Why didn't I know about it?"

"It was during the two weeks when I had to fly to Australia for a conference meeting." Rin stared hard at his shoes. This was the first time he had ever told someone of his experience of being turned. "On one of the nights, I was out celebrating with the a few colleagues. We were drinking and it was getting late so I decided to walk back to the hotel. I was almost there when...when I saw a girl. I knew she wasn't just any ordinary girl. There was something about her. I couldn't look away. She looked me in the eyes and said something. But I couldn't remember what—" he broke off, his voice cracking in frustration. Beside him, Haruka looked grim and pale. "I couldn't remember...and the next thing I knew, there was so much pain everywhere."

He winced at the memory of it. Even after two years, the experience still haunted him. It wasn't pleasant. It appeared in his dreams, hovered behind his shoulder, lurked around every corner, ready to pounce at him and grapple him back into the darkness. He had always tried to remember what the girl had said to him, but no matter how many times he thought back to that night, or racked his brains, he couldn't recall anything.

Haru reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze in which Rin was grateful for. He squeezed back.

"I woke up the next day and found myself alone on the floor in one of the construction buildings nearby the hotel. It was already the afternoon. Thank god it was my day off so no one suspected a thing." Rin said. "It felt like hell. My throat was burning so badly and my head was so heavy. I felt like I got hit my a truck. I left the place, looking for what, I wasn't sure. I just knew my body craved something. And nothing could content me until I got it."

"I thought vampires couldn't walk in sunlight." Haru said.

Rin chuckled, but it sounded tired. "We don't burn in sunlight. But we're physically weaker in daytime. No wonder we are called the Night Children."

"Do you know others?" Haru asked.

"I was really lucky–I bumped into another vampire shortly after I left the building. He took one look at me and it was like he just knew. We went back to his apartment where he gave me his share of bottled blood. Looking back now, I probably shouldn't have trusted him, considering my encounter with strangers, but I'm glad I did. His name was Sousuke Yamazaki."

Rin dwindled his thumbs nervously. "The realization that I was not a human anymore only came after I finished feeding. When it happened, I was horrified. I couldn't accept it. How could I? How could I look at somebody without remembering that they were now food to me? How could I tell you when I get home that I wasn't human anymore? My first thought was that I have to kill to survive and I didn't want that. I don't want to kill anyone." Rin said.

"I guess Sousuke knew what I was going through because he tried reassuring me that it wasn't so bad, and that not all vampires drink blood straight from humans, and even if they did, they don't necessarily kill them. Still, it didn't really help."

Rin exhaled. His red hair was now disheveled from the countless times he ran his fingers through it. "Sousuke eased me in for everything that I needed to know in my new life. And for the next two days, I hung around his apartment, trying to accept the fact that things just wouldn't be the same anymore, no matter how much I wished it wasn't true. And then... it was time to come home."

"I remember now," Haru said. "you were so distant for two weeks after you came back. I was so worried that something was wrong. I thought that it had something to do with the match but you had won... " He trailed off.

"I was scared that you would notice something odd. I was scared that I'd hurt you. I still couldn't control my hunger at that time. I didn't know how strong I was yet." Rin said, "I still don't, in some ways. I never truly want to find out. I tried not to use this newfound strength." Rin shrugged, as he tried to form the words. These thoughts had been brewing in his mind for so long and now that he could finally say it out loud, he couldn't seem to find the words. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I miss being human. And I thought that if I used my powers as little as possible, I could maybe forget that I'm a vampire. I could, maybe, be normal again."

"Oh Rin." Haruka breathed and he sounded like he was in pain.

In truth, Rin always had this underlying fear— fear of himself. He was afraid of what he was capable of. He didn't want to hurt anyone. He was so strong now. He could break metal. He could break stone. He could break anything.

He could break Haruka.

"Have you—" Haruka audibly swallowed, and his hands clenched and unclenched in his lap. "have you ever fed on someone?"

Rin hesitated. "Once, other than tonight."

"Did they—" Haruka broke off, looking like he was torn between wanting this conversation to end and wanting to know more.

"Die?" Rin finished. "No, I have never killed anyone."

"Was that why you were gone every Wednesdays?" Haru asked. "To feed?"

"Something like that. I have a friend. He's a human but he knows of the existence of vampires. He supplies us blood." Rin said. "Those blood packets you saw the other day... I bought them from him. They last me for a while before I go back to him again to get more."

"Where does he get them?"

"I don't know." Rin grimaced. "I've never asked."

"There's one thing I don't understand." Haru said, "Why would the vampire turn you? She could have just fed on your blood and left you there."

"There are times where vampires would want to increase the size of their clan. There are other times, like mine, where it was mostly out of amusement and boredom."

Haruka looked like he wanted to throw up. "That's sick."

Rin wanted to tell him that this whole situation was sick. He wanted to say that vampires shouldn't have existed in the first place because they were a freak of nature. And he was a part of it. But he stopped. Because he thought of Sousuke. Sousuke was a vampire. But he didn't let them stop him from living a decent life. He never treated humans as food, only drinking blood when it was absolutely necessary. He acted pretty human—save for blood drinking—and Rin admired him for that. Sousuke wasn't sick. He was kind to Rin. He understood what Rin was going through.

" _I'm_ sick." Rin gave a bitter chuckle. It even tasted bitter on his tongue. "I'm a monster."

"Rin." Haru had stood up now and he was walking over, in great strides, towards Rin who had his head down. "Rin, look at me."

Rin did. And he almost stopped breathing when he saw the tears in Haru's eyes.

"Haru..."

"Matsuoka Rin, you are not a monster." Haru said, gripping Rin's face in both his hands. "Stop saying that because it _hurts_ me. It hurts me to see you in such pain. It hurts me that you think of yourself in such a way because you're anything but that. You deny your most powerful urges just to protect the people you love, and that is anything but monstrous. You are an angel. You’re brave and strong and beautiful. So why can't you see that?"

Rin felt tears in his own eyes. He never realized how much he wanted someone to say those words to him. To reassure him that all the self-hatred brewing in him for the past two years were for nothing. When the last word fell from Haruka's lips, he grabbed the front of Haruka's shirt in a loose fist and yanked him forward, kissing him hard and strong and with everything that he had. Rin thought of everything that had passed over his own lips that were kissing the other's. Blood and curses and cries of pain.

But Haruka's lips were soft and forgiving and tasted of salted tears. As though they were coaxing the dark thoughts away that Rin didn't even knew existed out of the deep recesses of Rin's mind. Rin's mouth was open and Haru pulled back a little, like he wanted to say something and then he pressed their lips together again.

They pulled away, faces flushed and breathing hard, chests rising and falling in perfect harmony.

"For two years, you kept this from me." Haru mumbled, leaning his forehead against Rin's.

"Haru, I'm sorry—"

"No, that's not what I meant." Haru said softly, silencing Rin with a shake of his head. "For two years, you had to keep this to yourself."

Rin said nothing. He didn't have the words to deny it because it was true.

"I don't want you to be alone in this anymore. I want to help."

Rin's eyes widened and he felt as though Haru could see through them all the emotions that he was feeling at that moment—pain, vulnerability, and disbelief. And love. He felt so much love swell up in his chest for the man in front of him that it was hard to breathe. He knew it showed in his eyes. And he knew Haruka could see it. "C'mere." He said, tugging at Haruka's hand until Haruka was sitting on his lap, leaning his head against Rin's chest. Rin closed his eyes and felt Haru's breath against his neck.

"I wanted to tell you when I got back. I really did." Rin didn't know why he was whispering. "But you were in the kitchen and you turned around, and your eyes were sparkling and you looked so happy—" he broke off, his eyes closed tight. He swallowed. "The words wouldn't come."

"It's okay." Haru said. "Don't be sorry...ever." He looked up and his blue eyes held on to Rin's gaze for second. "There's something else, isn't there?"

Rin nodded. "There's this thing called bloodlust. When a vampire doesn't satisfy their hunger, they either die or their instincts eventually take over." Rin said. "They lose control of their human consciousness and they just shut down. In other words, they only thing they know is to feed and kill."

Haru inhaled. His blue eyes were wide. "Do they—do they ever come back?"

"Rarely. It takes a lot of power to bring them back." Rin hesitated. "From what I've heard, it almost always never happens. Once you're gone, you're gone. And they'd have to kill you."

It was quiet after that as they both allowed the words to sink in. Rin could feel Haruka's fingers skimming across his back under his shirt. There was something about the storm that they've just been through—something about almost losing Haruka—that made Rin felt vulnerable. It made him want to spill out all his thoughts that were buried deep within. It made him want to hold Haruka—hold on to him—and never let go.

"I don't want to fall into it." Rin spoke quietly. "I won't be able to control myself."

"Then we'll make sure you don't fall into bloodlust." Haruka replied.

"What if I lose control and—"

"You won't."

"But what if I don't see it coming?"

"Then _I'll_ see it coming."

"It doesn't work that way—"

"Rin," Haruka interrupted and something in his tone made Rin stopped talking. "You're afraid of hurting me. But you've been a vampire for two years and you've never once lost control. Have more faith in yourself. If you can't do that, then at least have more faith in us." Haruka said. "We went through a lot together. We can get through this too. Okay?"

Rin looked down at their intertwined fingers and the side of his mouth quirked up. He felt himself relaxed a bit; he didn't even realized how tensed he'd been. "Okay." He said softly.

"I know I can't take the pain away." Haruka said. "I know I can't change things back to the way they were. But I want you to know that you don't have to hurt alone anymore. I'm here now. And you don't have to be afraid again. Because I'll be here and I'm your anchor and I won't ever let it take you away."

"God I love you." Rin breathed. "I'd give you the moon right now."

"I don't want the moon." Haruka said, loud and clear, "I only want you."

Rin wished it didn't take them a near-death-experience to say these words out loud. But before he could continue that thought, Haruka was already sitting up, both his knees straddling Rin's lap.

"There's still one more thing."

"And what is that?"

"Don't think for a second I'd let you go that easily for scaring me back there." Haruka said. "Rin, you need to start learning how to take care of yourself. You can't just go on a starvation rampage to the point where you almost died."

"You sound like my mother," Rin said, "excluding the fact that my mum doesn't know I'm a vampire."

" _Rin_." Haru said, exasperated.

"Okay, okay." Rin raised both his palms up. "I get it. Point taken."

"Good." Haru sat back on his heels, his fingers toying with the bottom of Rin's shirt. "You really scared me." He mumbled.

" _You_ scared me," Rin admitted, "I thought I was going to lose you." If he hadn't come sooner, Haruka could have been dead. The thought made Rin's heart drop painfully. It hurt to even think about it. He circled both his arms around Haruka and brought them down, until they were lying on the couch, with Haruka on top of him.

"Does your neck still hurt?"

"No."

Rin wanted to apologize—that's all he seemed to be doing nowadays– but he knew Haru wouldn't like that, so he stayed silent.

"It's not your fault, you know." Haru said, his voice muffled into Rin's shirt, but Rin heard him. "I know what you're thinking, and it's not your fault."

"It'll take some time to believe it." Rin murmured.

"Mm."

"I don't mean to kill the moment," Rin said. "But are we not going to talk about the fact that I literally pulled someone's heart out of their chest just hours ago?"

He felt Haruka stiffened on top of it. And he winced, suddenly wishing he wasn't being so blunt about it.

"Do you regret it?" Haruka asked quietly and his fingers gripped at Rin's shirt again.

"No," Rin replied, after a pause. "I've never wanted to kill anyone but I don't regret it. It's hard to explain, but it was instinctual. The need to protect..." Rin said shakily. "I've never felt anything so strong. It was like I was in control, but at the same time I was not."

"I've never seen you like that before." Haruka mumbled.

"Are you afraid?" Rin glanced down at Haruka, his eyelashes casting shadows against his cheekbones.

"I'm not afraid of you." Haru said. "I'm afraid for you. What if somebody finds out? The police—"

"I'll deal with it, if it happens. I've learned a thing or two on how to clean up my mess." Upon Haruka's arched eyebrow in questioning, Rin elaborated. "Vampires can compel human beings. Make them forget. Make them do what you want them to do. One of the only actual perks of being a vampire."

"Have you...have you ever tried that on me?" Haruka asked.

Rin's eyes widened and his breath hitched in his throat. " _God_ , Haru. _No._ I would _never._ " And then his eyes were squeezed shut, as though it hurt him to even think about it and he was kissing the top of Haru's head, his lips brushing against raven black hair.

"Rin..." It was Haru who was whispering now. "I really love you..."

"I love you too. More than anything else in the world. The days without you had been hell and I don't ever want to go through that again." Rin said. "I'd rather be turned into a vampire a million times and endure all that pain all over, than to see you walk away from me again."

Haru leaned up and cupped his cheek, bringing their lips together once more. He was soft and pliant in Rin's arms and Rin was kissing him like he was dying of thirst and Haruka was the only water in the desert.

"Is having cheesy lines also a perk of being a vampire?" Haruka said, when their lips parted.

Rin shrugged, "What can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic."

Haruka settled back into lying on top of Rin. They weren't doing anything but Rin was content with just holding Haruka close to him. Touching him was enough of a reminder to Rin that Haruka was still there and still alive, instead of lying dead or wounded in an alleyway without anyone finding him. He shuddered at the thought.

"Back then in the alley, do you know why I said you were strong?" Haruka asked.

Rin shook his head.

"It's because you have these hands—hands that are strong enough to break and kill," Haruka traced his fingers against Rin's skin and Rin shivered. "But when you take me into your arms, you use all your strength to be gentle and I think that's the hardest thing to do. To go against what you were made of."

Rin said nothing. And when Haruka pushed himself up, thinking he said the wrong thing, Rin pulled him back down.

"Just—" Rin said, arms tightening against Haruka's torso. The prickle of tears were beginning to sting at the back of his eyes and he wondered how he got so lucky. "Just let me hold you for a while."

Haruka hummed.

\------

The doorbell rang.

"Rin, can you go get the door?" Haruka called from the kitchen. It was the evening and he was busy preparing dinner. The smell of food cooking wafted from the kitchen and hung in the air.

Rin got up and opened the front door. His face burst into a ear-splitting grin when he saw who it was. "Sousuke, finally! You took such a long time, I thought you were never going to come."

Sousuke grunted and rubbed a hand behind his neck. Rin recalled that he was never one for words. "Sorry, I got lost."

Rin burst out laughing and even Sousuke cracked a sheepish smile. "Come on in, Haru's making dinner."

Two months after the whole "incident", Rin had received a text message from Sousuke, saying that he was moving back to Japan and that they should meet up soon. There was even a tone in the message that made Rin believe that Sousuke wanted to check up on him and see how he was adapting. Rin was surprised—he thought Sousuke would have forgotten him by now. Sure, they shared the occasional text once in a while in the past couple of years, but he had only truly met the guy for a few days, back in Australia. He didn't think he made a good impression either.

Rin had agreed and Haruka had suggested they invited him for dinner. (After Rin had told him that vampires—shockingly—could still eat human food)

"Nice house." Sousuke commented, looking around while toeing his shoes off.

"Thanks." Rin said, closing the door behind them. "Take a seat. Haruka's almost done with dinner."

"So how have you been?" Sousuke asked, once he was seated on the couch.

"I've been good. Never better actually." Rin smiled, and he genuinely meant it. Ever since Haruka knew about the whole vampire thing already, he was in better spirits. There was no need for him to hide anymore, though he still preferred not to feed in front of Haruka. It was a pretty gruesome sight that he didn't want to scar his boyfriend with.

Haruka came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on his blue apron. "Hi I'm Haruka Nanase, you must be Yamazaki." Haruka extended a hand, "Rin talks a lot about you, it's nice to finally meet you in person."

"Call me Sousuke," Sousuke shook his hand politely, "All good things, I hope."

"Nothing terrible." Haruka gave him a small smile before heading back to the kitchen to take out the dishes.

"I've only met you for two days. I didn't know anything about your bad habits yet." Rin said, grinning.

"Yeah, but apparently you already know I'm a good person." Sousuke snorted.

"You shared your bottled blood with me." Rin said, "That meant something."

"Maybe I just didn't want to see your sorry ass feeding off any humans." Sousuke said. "I'm doing humanity a favor that I'll probably never get repaid for."

"I never got to thank you by the way," Rin said, "so I'll represent the entire human population and say thank you."

"Don't get all mushy with me Matsuoka," Sousuke chuckled, "I did what I had to do."

They both got up from the couch when Haruka reappeared, announcing that dinner was ready.

"So, how did you drop the news to Haruka when you came back?" Sousuke said, popping a piece of meat into his mouth, and humming in approval at Haruka's cooking.

"He didn't." Haruka retorted, though his face was passive. "I had to find it out myself."

"Oh shit." Sousuke turned to glance at Rin, who looked busy toying with his rice. "That couldn't have been pretty."

So Rin told him. The whole story. Of how Haruka had found the packets of blood at the back of the cupboard when he returned home. The argument. And how he had saved the blue-eyed man from getting his blood drained off in an alleyway. The day seemed like ages ago, though it still made Rin's chest squeezed with fear at the memory.

Sousuke looked shock—or as shocked as Sousuke could look—when Rin mentioned himself saving Haruka from the vampire attack that occurred a couple months ago. "Already picking fights on the streets, I see?"

"I couldn't control my instincts." Rin shrugged unapologetically, "they were screaming at me to protect Haruka."

"Yeah, even his voice sounded different." Haruka pointed out. "He was being all growly."

"Bet I was hot, huh?" Rin raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Stop." Haruka groaned, flicking his chopsticks at him. "Not in front of our guest."

"So you killed the guy?" Sousuke asked.

"Yeah," Rin said. "Yanked his heart out of his chest."

"Bad move." Sousuke didn't even looked up from his bowl as he spoke. "It makes the kill messy."

Rin propped himself on his elbows and leaned forward, curiosity making his eyes sparkle. "So how do you suggest I was supposed to kill him?"

"Decapitation," Sousuke replied casually, scooping a mouthful of rice up, still too busy with his food to look up at the both of them. "or drive a stake to his heart."

"Are we really talking about killing someone over dinner?" Haruka interrupted, seeing as the two of them were getting increasingly engrossed into the conversation. He then looked to Sousuke. "You seemed to know a lot about killing vampires."

Sousuke didn't reply immediately, taking his time with his chewing, though a dark shadow of an expression flickered across his face. "I used to be a vampire hunter."

Rin choked on his rice. Haruka's eyes widened.

"Wait, what!"

"Got bitten during one of my trips." Sousuke answered coolly, unfazed by their reactions. He leaned over to pick up a piece of vegetable with his chopsticks, while the other two sat frozen, still staring at him in disbelief. "No amount of holy water could save me."

"Oh..." Haruka said, suddenly regretting his question. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Sousuke said, giving them a nonchalant smile. "It was a long time ago."

"So what happened after that?" Rin couldn't help himself from asking. Underneath the table, Haruka kicked his ankle.

"I wanted to kill myself after discovering that I've become one of the beings that I hated the most." Sousuke replied. "But I didn't. It took a while, but I started accepting that I am what I am now, and there's nothing I could do about it except maybe try to accept it."

"No wonder..."Rin mumbled, face turning a bit red. "No wonder it seemed like you knew what I was going through. I thought it was because you went through the same thing too, but I never realized..."

An uncomfortable silence settled heavily upon the table. Both Haruka and Rin fumbled with their food, both having the urge to say something, but not knowing exactly what to say.

"Lighten up the both of you." Sousuke looked up, smiling with light fondness when he noticed their downcast expressions. "It's really no big deal. It was seven years ago."

"I have a question." Haruka said. "Are vampire fights common? I mean, I expected someone to come knocking on our door days after Rin killed the man."

"Vampire fights occur occasionally. When it does, it's no surprise—vampires are extremely territorial. And when they feel like the other is a threat to them, fights break out to assert dominance. Vampire fights even occur in clans, though not as often. Clans are suppose to protect you, but only if you stay within the group. If you go out alone, carelessly picking fights with other vampires, you're on your own." Sousuke explained. "Vampires like us, that don't have a clan, are more vulnerable. That's why it's important not to tread on another's territory. Best to avoid fights. The dead body usually gets cleared before any human could find out about our existence anyway."

"Then how do you explain my instincts going haywire the other day?" Rin asked.

Sousuke leaned back on his chair, seemingly satisfied with himself. "That's easy. It's because Haruka's your mate."

"Mate?" The other two echoed together in question.

"You don't realize it Rin, but your instincts have already acknowledged Haruka as your mate." Upon seeing both their confused expressions, he sighed. "Vampires will choose only one person as their mate. Something like a soul mate. And basically when it happens, they mate for life. It's something like a very strong bond. And the both of you will feel very strong emotions from each other. It doesn't necessarily happen to everyone, not everyone gets to find their mate—only if you're lucky."

"Why didn't I know about this?" Rin asked.

"I didn't want to load you up with so much new information on the first few days you were a fledgling. I wasn't even sure you wanted to be alive. You looked like you were ready to drive a stake through your heart when I last saw you."

Haruka made a sound at the back of his throat. Sousuke looked up and, realizing his mistake of his choice of words, apologized.

"I figured you would learn eventually. And it wasn't immediate crucial information at that time." Sousuke said. "You probably didn't know Haruka was your mate all this while because you were feeling so distraught when you came back. And also because you've lived with him long enough so your instincts have already accepted him as one of yours."

"Ah I see." Rin frowned. "But Haruka's human."

"Oh, about that..." Sousuke said, rubbing his palms. It was the first time Rin saw him acting nervous. "That's the tricky part."

"What is it?" Rin asked warily,

"You'd have to turn him." Sousuke said, "Or the bond won't work."

"What?" Rin exclaimed. Beside him, Haruka paled.

Rin felt himself grow furious at the thought. "No," he growled. "No way in hell am I doing that." Nobody was turning his baby into a vampire.

"Rin," Haruka reached over and caught Rin's fist into his hand, unfurling his fingers. "Calm down. This can wait for another day."

Rin exhaled. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry." He said sheepishly to which Haruka have him a reassuring smile in return.

"Since we're on the topic, I guess I would have to tell you why I decided to move back from Australia." Sousuke said, looking grim.

"Oh yeah, I was planning to ask you about that." Rin said. Sousuke's return had been abrupt and unexpected. He didn't go into details when he told Rin over text message. It had seemed as though Sousuke was happily settled in Australia for many years, so who would have seen it coming?

"Why did you decide to move back here?"

Sousuke placed his chopsticks down, and looked at the both of them.

"I came back to find my mate."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My poor baby Rin! ): So who do you guys think Sousuke's mate is? *Wink wink*
> 
> I may be working on another part of this fic to elaborate on Sousuke's story, let me know if I should do that!
> 
> Leave some comments/kudos to let me know what you think about the story! Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

The very first time Sousuke met his mate, it was in a train station in Japan.

He could still remember the sweet scent, somewhere in a chilly Tuesday autumn evening, mingled along with a few hundred others as he waited for the train to arrive. The other scents didn't matter—what mattered was the sweet smell of lemon and vanilla—tinged with a slight smell of old books?—that invaded his senses and made only one word swirled relentlessly around his head.

 _Mate_.

He only came to Japan for a week to visit his parents, whom he had not seen for years. Today was his last day in the place he grew up in, before he'll leave for Australia again.

Sousuke had his headphones plugged in, his cap pulled down to cover his eyes as best as it can—an obvious sign to everyone around him that he didn't want to be bothered. Though when the scent of his mate registered in his brain, his head snapped up, almost scaring the elderly lady standing beside him. But he was too distracted to apologize.

The scent was faint, and barely even there, but Sousuke had caught it. And he wasn't planning to let it go.

He scanned the crowd almost frantically, his eyes passing by from one person to another. There weren't many people waiting for the next train at this time, but the place was still crowded with humans on their way to get somewhere. He spotted a group of young ladies down the aisle on his right, standing together chatting animatedly. He concluded that they couldn't be possible candidates—they were too far away. And judging from the direction where the wind was blowing, their scent couldn't have reached him from such a distance. He then continued looking. There were one or two elderly people. He looked to his left.

And then his eyes fell on a young man standing a few feet away from him.

The boy was wearing a red plaid button-down shirt, and a black shirt on the inside. A white scarf was wounded loosely around his neck. Black-framed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He had shaggy brown hair and Sousuke was surprised to see that the boy was almost as tall as him. He seemed unaware of his surroundings, as he had his nose buried deep in a book, eyebrows furrowing towards the middle of his forehead.

Sousuke hesitated, though something in his stomach leaped. What if he wasn't the one? What would Sousuke say if he were to go up to him? He was sure if his instincts were a person, they would probably be cursing up a storm in his head now, calling him to stop being a chicken and man up.

He took a deep breath. It was now or never.

His legs propelled forward and he cursed at them. This wasn't the right time for his vampire gracefulness to suddenly abandon him. He was right behind the boy now. The scent only grew stronger. It had to be him. Sousuke was just reaching out and about to tap his shoulder when the boy tucked his book under his arm. His other arm reached into his pocket and dug out his ringing phone. Sousuke yanked his hand back jerkily when the other boy brought the phone to his ear and began talking.

He waited. _What else could he do?_ Though he got the opportunity to hear the boy's voice for the first time. And it sent sparks down his whole nervous system, shattering his bones and setting his veins on fire. He didn't mind it one bit.

The boy was still talking when the whistle of the train's arrival echoed and bounced off the station walls. Bright headlights shone from the end of the dark tunnel as the train approached. Sousuke bit his lip to contain his impatience, but the boy didn't seem as though he was about to end the call anytime soon.

The train pulled into the station and the doors slid opened. People began making their way into the vehicle. Sousuke was still standing behind the unmoving boy. He was going to miss the train if he didn't get on soon. And then he'd have to wait for another forty-five minutes for the next train to get him home.

He wanted to tap at the boy's shoulder. He wanted the boy to turn around so he could get a better look at his face. He wanted to grab at his shoulders and announce to the world that they were mates. Because they must have been—there was no one else. Though before he could even dream of doing that, the boy in front of him—still having his phone to his ear—began walking away from the train. Sousuke heard him say something like, "Okay, I'll meet you there..." before his mind went into full panic mode.

The first thing that registered to him was that the boy wasn't getting on the train.

He was walking away.

He was walking further and further away from Sousuke.

He was practically gone by the time Sousuke could gather his scattered thoughts and go after him.

 _Screw the train_ , Sousuke thought before he tightened his grip on the strap of his backpack and ran towards where he last saw the boy get swallowed up in the crowd. He looked around, desperately trying to find a mop of brown hair and familiar red fabric in the crowd. The overwhelming wave of scents made his head spin. Some passersby shot him strange looks as he continued running, and ducked to avoid him. He didn't blame them—Sousuke knew he looked like a madman in comparison to his usual cool, collected composure.

He pressed through the crowd until he broke free.

_But..._

The boy was nowhere to be found.

Sousuke frowned. He was so sure the boy went in this direction...

He spent twenty minutes looking for the boy.

And then the following twenty-five minutes waiting for the next train.

\---------

“Tall, brown hair… that could be anyone in Japan.” Rin argued.

“I know that.” Sousuke snapped. He didn’t need to be reminded of how vague his description was. Or how bleak the situation at hand was.

“Was he human?” Haru spoke up for the first time. He had been so quiet throughout the whole time Sousuke was speaking that Sousuke almost forgotten he was there in the first place.

“Definitely human.” Sousuke confirmed. “I would have noticed right away if he was a vampire.”

“Wait,” Rin raised a hand to stop him. “You’re telling me that you literally dropped everything in Australia and moved back here just to find a boy that you couldn’t even get a glimpse of, at the first time you saw him?” Rin asked incredulously.

“Yes.” Sousuke said with no hesitation. He crossed his arms, and raised a challenging eyebrow at Rin, daring him to speak.

“Sousuke,” Rin tried again. “You know you might not even find him.” He threw his hands up in frustration. “Do you know how big is the whole of Japan?”

“145,925 square miles.” Haruka answered without batting an eyelash.

Both Sousuke and Rin blinked and turned around to stare at him as though he just grew two extra heads from his shoulders.

Haruka shrugged. “I paid attention in Geography class.”

“Okay well anyway,” Rin shook his head, diverting the attention back to the initial problem. “What are the chances that you would find him? He could be a tourist for all we know.”

“It’s better than staying in Australia and not doing shit about it.” Sousuke narrowed his eyes. “At least in Japan, I stand some sort of chance, albeit how slim that chance is.” Seeing as though his stubborn friend was still unconvinced, Sousuke tried again. “If you were me, and you found out that Haru was somewhere in another country, would you do the same?”

“Yes.” Rin said, almost immediately. He seemed to realize what he did only after, and his face turned bright red. Beside him, Haruka looked down at his lap, his face flushing pink but he was smiling.

“My point exactly.” Sousuke cracked a smile, knowing he had won.

“Alright, fine.” Rin sighed. “How do you intend to find the boy?”

“Actually,” Sousuke frowned and cleared his throat, wringing his fingers loosely. “I have no idea.”

“What!”

“Hey, I didn’t get so far ahead on my plan.” Sousuke said defensively.

Rin pinched the bridge of his nose. “And I thought I was the impulsive one.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better,” Sousuke snorted. “I was already planning to quit my job back in Australia long before I decided to move back. I spent the last few months pulling strings and getting a good-enough place here to settle into.”

“You could always go back to the station to see if he’s there.” Haruka piped up helpfully, taking pity of Sousuke and his situation.

“I’ve tried that for the first week.” Sousuke said. “And I came up with nothing.”

“There has to be another way.” Rin said, determination clouding his features.

“Well, whatever it is. We’ll help you, Sousuke.” Haru gave him a small smile. “Don’t forget, you’re in Japan now.”

Sousuke hoped he was right.

\----------

He was going crazy.

There was no doubt about that.

Rin was going to have to send him to a nut house for vampires.

He could smell the sweet scent of his mate almost everywhere he went. He smelled it near the flower shop near Rin's house. He smelled it at the little cafe he went where Haru worked as. He even smelled it in Rin and Haru's apartment, though it was faint and barely there, making him dismiss it as his wacked-out instincts. It lingered in the air as though it mocked at him, serving merely as a painful reminder of the fateful day back at the train station. Of his 3-seconds-too-late encounter. He was sure that the shock had gotten to his brain. And that he was, indeed, catching some rare supernatural mental disease.

 _Do vampires even get diseases?_ He thought to himself as he made his way up Rin's porch steps on a sunny Tuesday morning, taking two steps at a time, and pressed on the doorbell.

Lately he had been dropping by more and more frequently. Initially, it was mainly because he wanted to check up on Rin—to make sure he was still alive and coping well. Now, it was more because he genuinely enjoyed their company. They were good people who cared and were willing to help him, and he was grateful for that. He didn't realized it at first but he noticed himself viewing Rin as a younger brother whom he felt responsible to look after.

"Hello Sousuke." It was Haru who answered this time and stepped back to let him in. He was dressed in his work uniform, Sousuke noticed, "Why the long face?"

"He's pining." Rin beat him to it before he could come up with a reply. He was sitting on the couch casually, just flicking through some channels on the television. "He's pining about his mate. Oh, why can't I find him? Oh, why didn't I say hi when I first saw him? Why, why, why—"

"Well, you're not being very helpful." Sousuke grunted but launched himself at the empty spot beside Rin, snatching his remote and ignoring Rin's protests.

"I've got to go to work or I'll be late. I was on my way out." Haru smiled at the both of them, and bent down to wear his shoes. He picked up his workbag, slinging it over his shoulder.

"Don't I get a kiss before you go?" Rin opened up his arms, pouting up at Haru like a small kid. In Sousuke's mind, it was both endearing and disgusting at the same time. It was perfectly normal, a part of him knew, to have mates acting like they were attached to the hip. Haru and Rin act like a newly teenage couple who just couldn't get enough of one another. Another part of him, however, was cringing painfully. It was awkward being the third wheel of your friends who just happened to be together. And it only made Sousuke wish his mate was there at that moment with him. He wished it till his bones ached.

As he watched Haruka walked up and peck Rin on the lips sweetly, he wondered how it would feel like to have his own lips deliciously pressed against his own mate's. He wondered if he would have that look in his eyes when he looks at his mate— like how Rin's eyes shimmer like stars against the black canvas of a night sky, when he glances or talks about anything concerning Haruka.

When Haruka had left, Rin fell back against the couch again. A quiet, content sigh left his lips. He was looking at the TV, but Sousuke was sure nothing was going in. Rin had this faraway look on his face—his eyes unfocused, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He looked so happy that Sousuke kept quiet, not wanting to disturb his peace of mind.

Rin looked like an idiot.

And Sousuke wanted to look like that.

Sousuke wanted to be so blissfully in love that he looked stupid.

"What if I never find him?" Sousuke had asked, later on. They were still sitting on the couch, except Rin had broken away from his state of bliss and was actually watching what was currently on the television.

"You're thinking too hard." Rin replied, while they were watching a football match. "Stop trying and go with the flow. If something is meant to be, it will happen."

Sousuke wanted to tell him that thinking was the only thing he could do. Other than waiting. But waiting was even worse. Waiting would drive him nuts.

He also wanted to tell Rin that the only 'flow' he's ever heard of was when he was in seventh grade and a bunch of girls were discussing about their 'Aunt Flow', which Sousuke only understood, years later, that it was referring to the menstrual cycle. But he didn't tell Rin that. Instead he said, "I'm pretty sure that's a Buddha quote."

"Give me a break would you? I don't have enough time to be original."

"No, you're just too love-struck."

\-----------

Ever since he moved back and settled down, Sousuke found himself paying the local library near his place frequent visits per week. It was near where Rin and Haruka lived, so he could drop by after. It was peaceful there—the smell of print on pages soothed his mind and there was even a small cafe beside the library so the smell of coffee constantly hung in the air.

The place was a vacuum. It sucked out all the noise from Sousuke surroundings. It sucked out all his thoughts from his mind, even if it was for a while.

He spent two hours in the library today. It was almost late afternoon already, so he decided to borrow the book he was currently reading so he could finish where he left off when he got home. He was already back to reading the paragraphs he stopped at before he properly exited the place—one hand holding the pages open while he read, one hand holding his coffee.

He was almost reaching home now.

He was so busy reading that it didn't properly registered in his mind that he had crashed into someone, until the book in his hands was ripped from his grasp, and he felt warm liquid splash and drench his arm. His bag was flung away from his shoulder, and the clattering of things against pavement could be heard.

"Ah shit." He groaned, assessing the damage around him. He wiped his hand on his jeans and bent down to scoop up his things. His laptop—thankfully—was unharmed. He gathered his stash of papers and his phone, and stuffed them back into his bag hurriedly.

"H-hey sir?" Someone spoke up over him, but he was too busy picking up his belongings that have fallen from the bag. A shadow fell overhead, blocking out the sun. Sousuke finally peered up, narrowing his eyes at the stranger. And immediately he froze.

The scent of vanilla and lemon was all he could smell.

 _God_.

It was him. The boy from the station.

He looked the same—he still had his glasses on and his brown hair was messy and disheveled. Sousuke wanted to run his fingers through those untamable brown locks and see if they were really as soft as they looked. Sousuke had thought he looked beautiful when he saw him from afar at the train station months ago.

Now up close, the boy took his breath away.

 _'Took' would seem like an understatement_ , Sousuke thought. It was more like the boy had knocked out every gasp of available air in Sousuke's lungs.

Behind those glasses, he had eyes that were as green as a forest when the first sun rays of fresh dawn break through the tops of the canopy, and the leaves cling on to the rays as best as they can, after being left without it for a single desolated night.

Sousuke felt like that. Like he had been left all his life without knowing what he was really missing out on. In the few seconds he was looking into those green orbs, it felt as though he was trying to soak up all of that green to keep him until he saw the other again.

The boy looked like a fucking angel, with the sun-rays illuminating his figure from behind. It made his whole being looked as though he was shining from within, and with the smile on his face—he _was_ an angel. Sousuke was sure he had died somehow and the heavens had opened up above him.

"Sir?" The boy gave him a soft smile, his head tilting to the side like a lost puppy. Sousuke almost had a heart attack. "Are you alright?"

Sousuke _wasn't_ alright. He couldn't breathe.

He realized he had been staring. Shaking himself off his reverie, he got up quickly. He didn't think he could speak—his throat was all tight and tensed— but he did anyway. "Yeah, I'm alright."

"I'm really sorry I bumped into you and spilled your drink. Here, you dropped your book." The boy handed him his book.

If somebody were to ask Sousuke to describe the boy's voice, it would be a hot chocolate by a warm fireplace, in a cold winter day. Warm and safe and comfortable. Especially now that they boy was talking directly to him and not to a phone. It made Sousuke feel like he was disintegrating. Like he was physically melting on the concrete pavement where he stood.

"No, my fault. I wasn't looking."

Sousuke hoped his face didn't look angry. He was often told he looked pissed half of the time of his existence. It was probably because he was unfortunate enough to be born with droopy eyes and lips that naturally turned downwards—making him seemed like he was scowling and unimpressed in almost everything. He was honestly surprised that the boy wasn't running down the streets with his tail between his legs yet.

The boy looked at the cover of the book that was now in Sousuke's hand, and gave Sousuke a small grin. "A Tale of Two Cities?"

"It's a good book." Sousuke could feel his face grow pink and hot. _Why was he blushing_?

"'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times'..." The boy quoted. He then flushed when he realized what he just did. "I'm sorry, I read a lot."

"You don't have to apologize." Sousuke said. And before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "It's cute."

The both of them froze. And Sousuke could literally feel the world crumbling down in large, jagged pieces all around him. He wished the ground would open up beneath his feet and swallow him up at that exact moment.

Then the boy gave a soft laugh. And Sousuke couldn't help but stare again.

When he laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkled and his eyes turned into the shape of crescent moons on his face. He had dimples on both cheeks, the right was deeper than the left.

"May I know your name?"

"Makoto. Makoto Tachibana."

 _Makoto_.

He tested the sound of the name in his mind, again and again. The more he did it, the more he fell in love with it.

"I'm Sousuke Yamazaki."

"It's nice to meet you, Sousuke."

It was at that moment when Sousuke decided, that if he could hear only one sound for the rest of his life, it would be the sound of Makoto calling his name.

 _God_.

\---------

Makoto had to go.

And Sousuke had to watch him walk away from him again.

As he stood there by the sidewalk, he felt something rising in his throat as he glanced at Makoto's retreating figure down the street. He wasn't sure what it was—it felt like a mixture of ecstasy and anger and regret and helplessness, all balled up in one solid thing that lodged painfully in his throat.

He wanted to kick something. There was this pent-up energy buzzing in his veins and muscles. He needed to let off some steam.

So he ran.

He ran until he felt like throwing up. He ran until he couldn't feel his legs anymore.

He ran until he collapsed on somebody's porch steps. It was dark now and there was a light at the front porch, pooling out onto the street. He was probably going to get kicked off when the owner comes out and finds him there but he couldn't bring himself to move. He stayed.

And that was where Rin found him, ten minutes later.

Turns out that it was Rin's porch he was sitting on.

" _My god_ , Sousuke." Rin said, his eyes blown wide at the sight, and dragged him into the house. "What are you doing out there?"

"Sousuke, _what_ —he's been outside this whole time?" Haru exclaimed, rushing over to help Rin put Sousuke on the couch.

"On our front porch." Rin said, frowning. He pushed back some of his red hair that had fallen into his eyes, glaring hard at the man on the couch. "If I hadn't smelled him, he would have been there until the morning. Or worse, somebody would have called the cops. Hey— _are you even listening_?"

Sousuke was smiling.

His cheeks ached, and he was sure he looked like a psychopath but he couldn't care less. All he could care about was Makoto. Makoto looking at him. Makoto saying his name.

God, he loved the sound of Makoto's name rolling off his tongue. He could say it until the end of time and even after then.

"He's lost it." He vaguely heard Rin tell Haru. "I told you he was close to losing it."

"Makoto." Sousuke whispered, mostly to himself. Just to explore how this precious new word would feel on his lips. It was as though saying his name out loud, made Sousuke believe that their encounter was real. It reassured him that he wasn't imagining it, and it wasn't a product of his 'rare supernatural disease'. It wasn't a dream.

"What?" Haru spun around. "What did you just say, Sousuke?"

Sousuke's eyes were finally focused—but only for a little bit. He blinked, as though he didn't hear what Haru said, and turned to look at smaller man. "Hm?"

"You said something just now." Haruka stared at him, like he wasn't sure if he should take Rin's word that Sousuke has completely lost his mind. "A name..."

Sousuke just continued staring blankly ahead, lips curled into a small smile.

"Oh for the love of all things—" Rin threw his hands up and stormed up to Sousuke. "Get a hold of yourself Yamazaki." He shook Sousuke's shoulders. "You're scaring everybody."

"I met him..." Sousuke blinked, and his eyes slowly met Rin's. He gave Rin a grin and Rin practically shrunk back at the sight—he has never seen this side of Sousuke, and he didn't think he would want to again.

"Met who?" Rin asked, still gripping Sousuke's shoulders.

"Makoto..." Sousuke said softly, "His name is Makoto Tachibana."

"Your mate is Makoto Tachibana?" Rin asked incredulously, his eyes looked as though they were going to pop out of his skull. He was shaking Sousuke again, more frantically this time. "Tall, brown hair, the one with the glasses, reads a lot?"

"Mhm."

"What the hell—" Rin broke away and shared a glance at Haru, who looked just as shocked. "Sousuke— _Sousuke_ , listen to me." Rin said, emphasizing every word. "Makoto Tachibana is Haru's best friend."

That seemed to break Sousuke from whatever dazed state he was in. He sat up, propping himself on his elbows. "Wait, what?"

Haru, who was—at this point— openly gaping at Sousuke, spoke up. "Makoto is my best friend. We've known each other since we were kids."

"He hangs around here sometimes...I wonder why the both of you have never met before." Rin said, stepping away from the couch.

"He hangs around here..." Sousuke echoed. Makoto hangs around here...

"That means I wasn't crazy." Sousuke said and he gave a short laugh of relief. "I thought all this time I was going insane because I could smell him everywhere."

"Well you're kind of acting crazy _now_." Haru muttered.

"I'm still too shocked for words." Rin said, but he was patting Sousuke's back now like he was congratulating him. "How the hell did you guys meet?"

"I bumped into him on the street on the way home from the library." Sousuke said, and then he added softly, his mouth tugging up at the right into a small smile. "We talked about A Tale of Two Cities."

"Nerd love." Rin said. "How romantic."

"Is having love-induced self-destructive behavior a thing for vampires?" Haru sounded mad. "First Rin and now you too, Sousuke. Care to explain why you were sitting outside at this hour?"

Sousuke looked sheepish. "I—uh, I ran here?"

Haruka pursed his lips and put his hands on his waist. "You ran all the way here because you were struck down by the intense beauty of love?"

"It wasn't any love." Rin said, trying with no avail, to defend Sousuke from Haru's wrath. "It was mate-love. It makes you do crazy things."

Haruka rolled his eyes. "It makes _me_ crazy having to worry about the both of you. I''m going to call Makoto." Haru was about to exit, when he stopped, frowning. "But what do I say? He doesn't know anything about vampires."

"Just—just invite him for dinner first." Rin said and Haruka nodded, walking out of the room.

Sousuke tried thinking of being in the same room with Makoto—eating with Makoto, or just seeing the boy again.

He thought his un-beating heart was going to jump right out of his chest.

\-------

"Will you calm down?" Rin sighed. He was sitting on the couch and Sousuke was pacing about in the living room, occasionally picking up random objects and setting them down.

"Rin, when he comes, what do I say?" Sousuke whirled around, anxiousness evident in his face.

"Just say hi."

"Hi... Okay, I can do that—I can say hi..." Sousuke nodded, muttering mostly to himself, and went back to pacing for a few seconds, then he whirled around again. "Do you think that's too casual? I mean we just met. Should I say hi or should I say hello?"

"Oh my god."

The doorbell rang as if on cue. And Sousuke jumped. Haru walked up and opened the door. Sousuke could hear Haru talking at the doorway. He stilled, not daring to move, his breath caught in his throat. He heard the door close and seconds later—though it felt like an eternity—Makoto walked into the living room.

"It's—" Makoto stopped mid-sentence when he saw Sousuke in the living room, his eyes wide.

Then the most amazing thing happened. His face broke into the most radiant smile. "Sousuke? What are you doing here?"

Sousuke wanted to grab onto the nearest furniture—his knees felt so weak he didn't think he could stand. He managed a smile, which he hoped didn't look too stupid. "Makoto."

"I didn't know you were friends with Haru and Rin." Makoto said, setting his bag on the couch. He turned around at the same time Sousuke walked forward. And then he was standing so close to Sousuke again, just like how they were this afternoon. They were so close, Sousuke could count the number of gold flecks spotting Makoto's green eyes.

"Me too." Sousuke said softly.

"He told us about you crashing into him in the middle of the street. So we decided to invite you over for dinner." Haru's voice spoke up, startling them. It made them both jump apart, after realizing how close they were standing.

"Oh my god, I remember that. I'm so sorry," Makoto said, "I made you spill your drink."

"It's okay." Sousuke said. "You've already said sorry just now. Stop apologizing."

"Right." Makoto said. "Sorry."

They both laughed.

"Dinner's ready." Rin called, appearing into the living room and winding a hand around Haru's waist. He was smirking so hard at Sousuke, it was as though the mark was indented into his face.

"So how did you meet Rin and Haruka?" Makoto asked, while they were all eating. Sousuke felt Rin stiffen beside him. He almost choked on his own chopsticks.

"I met Rin on one of his trips to Australia." He said, trying to keep it as vague as possible.

"Yeah, Sousuke just moved back to Japan from there." Rin said.

"Oh, that must have been a big deal. What made you move?" Makoto smiled.

"Um, my job there wasn't really working out and it's been a while since I saw my parents. I wanted to check up on them." Sousuke replied. "What about you? I heard from Haru that you guys were childhood friends."

"Yeah, I grew up together with Haru. Then we both met Rin when we were elementary students."

"You've met your mate since you were practically babies?" Sousuke blurted out, until he saw their faces.

 _Shit_.

"Mate?" Makoto asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion. It was probably the wrong timing for Sousuke to think he was so painfully cute with that expression but he couldn't help it.

"Uh—it's an Australian term." Rin said, slapping Sousuke on his shoulder. A little too hard. Sousuke winced. "Mate—you know, like a friend or a spouse."

"Yeap." Haru said monotonously, though he was busy staring at the mackerel in his bowl.

"So hey Makoto, I take it you like to read?" Sousuke hastily changed the subject, leaning in a bit too quickly to pick up a piece of meat with his chopsticks.

Makoto turned pink, and he rubbed a hand at the back of his neck. "Well—"

"Makoto is the biggest bookworm I know." Haru piped up, suddenly interested. "Except for Rei, of course." He muttered.

"Haru!" Makoto exclaimed, hiding his face behind his hands. His voice came out muffled against his palms. "I just really like books."

Sousuke wondered how anybody could look so endearing with their face looking like the color of a ripe tomato, but Makoto apparently could.

"I like reading too, Makoto."

"Yeah, ever since he moved here, he goes to the library everyday and refuses to leave." Rin spoke up, grinning as Sousuke's glare bore holes into his face.

"Do you both have a hate thing against books or people who read books?"

"No, but there are better things then reading you know." Rin said. "Much more interesting things than just staring at paper."

"I cannot believe you just said that." Sousuke said and Makoto nodded his head in agreement.

"Like I said," Rin shook his head at Haru. "nerd love."

Both Makoto and Sousuke blushed.

\--------

"So you enjoy reading the classics?" Makoto asked Sousuke as they walked side by side in the dark street. After dinner, Sousuke had offered to walk Makoto home, seeing as they lived close to each other so it was no trouble at all. Rin gave him a friendly pat on the back again and Haru had muttered a small, "don't screw it up." before he left.

"Yes, they're so cleverly written, I don't understand how some people could find them boring." Sousuke said.

It was quiet around them, but the silence didn't make Sousuke nervous. He could hear Makoto's steady heartbeat and he kept his pace along with it.

_God, he was such a creep._

"What about you?" Sousuke asked. He was honestly grateful that he was getting a chance to get to know Makoto better. And that they were talking about books. He could do that. He could talk about books without being nervous at all. He mentally groaned at himself—apparently he wasn't only a creep but a nerd of all things too. The good thing was that Makoto seemed to enjoy the topic of literature as much as he did.

"What kind of books do you like to read?"

Makoto hummed."I think I like reading drama and the classics."

"Drama?" Sousuke quirked a brow. "Shakespeare and such?"

"Yeah, they're really interesting and they give you an insight of how plays work during those times." Makoto gave a small laugh. "It's like an English and History lesson in one book."

"What's your favorite play of Shakespeare?" Sousuke asked. "Hamlet?"

Makoto scrunched up his nose. He looked like a tiny bunny. A tiny, cute bunny. Sousuke added that to his mental list of 'Makoto's adorable facial expressions.' "Hmm, not really. I mean it's nice and all but I feel like it's too overrated. I quite enjoyed Othello though."

"Othello?" Sousuke repeated. "The tragedy?"

"Yes. I mean, it's a really sad ending that both Othello and Desdemona die. But it's really fascinating how Iago can cleverly manipulate his surroundings and grab opportunities based on the situation." Makoto explained.

 _It's fascinating watching someone talk about something they truly enjoy_ , Sousuke thought, as he looked at Makoto. Under the moonlight, he looked so _divine_.

They were both still talking about plays and books even when they reached Makoto's apartment. It was only when they stopped walking that Makoto realized they had arrived.

"Oh, we're here." It was probably his imagination but Sousuke thought Makoto sounded disappointed.

"It was really nice talking to you. I finally found someone who shares my love for books." Sousuke said. He fought the urge to grab Makoto's hand. That would really be creepy. He didn't want to scare his mate off.

"Me too. Rin and Haru don't exactly like books." Makoto said. "Hey—you should check up on Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey. I've read it and it's good. Though I would like to know what you think of it."

Sousuke's heart jumped. Makoto made it sound like they were meeting up again.

"Sure." He smiled. "I would love to."

"See you next time?"

Sousuke nodded, as he watched Makoto walk away for the second time of the day. But this time, he felt content. A warm pool of happiness bubbled in his chest. "Goodnight, Makoto."

\-----------  
They met up a few times outside after that—meetings deliberately set up by both Rin and Haru. Their matchmakers. Sometimes Sousuke wondered if the both of them knew they were making it look way too obvious. After the first few times, something would always 'coincidentally' come up and Rin and Haru would have to conveniently excuse themselves.

"Do you ever get the feeling that our friends are setting us up?" Makoto said one day after Rin and Haru left the both of them in a small cafe. They were sitting by the window and the morning sunlight was hitting Makoto's face in all the right angles. It was a very good view to be drinking coffee to, Sousuke thought.

"Is that a bad thing for you?"

Makoto blushed. "N-no... I mean—"

"Relax, I'm just joking." Sousuke laughed. "And yes, I've realized. It's like they want us to be together or something."

"Is that a bad thing for you?" It was Makoto's turn to ask him. Though he sounded extremely nervous.

"Hmm." Sousuke pretended to look deep in thought. "Not at all. As a matter of fact, I quite like the idea." He didn't know where all this sudden burst of courage came from—he just knew, from the way he would catch Makoto looking at him, or Makoto's heartbeat speeding up whenever Sousuke walked into a room, that his feelings weren't unreciprocated.

Makoto gave a small squeak and covered his heated face in his palms. He seemed to do that a lot when he was flustered, Sousuke noticed. He liked it.

"By the way, I've finished the book you suggested the other night. Found it in the library and read through the whole thing in two days."

"So you liked it?" Makoto leaned forward, eyes sparkling.

"It was good, I liked it." Sousuke tried smiling at him while drinking his coffee, only to burn his tongue instead.  
  
"Yay, that's great! Did you know it was made into a film?" Makoto said excitedly. "I have a copy at home, I was thinking...if you'd like—maybe you would like to come over and watch it with me sometime?"

Sousuke choked on his coffee.

"Oh my goodness, are you okay?" He heard Makoto exclaimed. He raised a hand up while he was still coughing, to indicate that he was fine.

"Sorry. I'm okay." Sousuke said when he recovered. "And yes, if it really is as exciting as you say, I would like to watch this film with you."

"Is this," Makoto said slowly, peering up through his lashes tentatively, "a date?"

 _Yes_. Sousuke smiled, looking down at his coffee. "I think it is."

\----------

"Why did we pick that movie?" Makoto pouted as they walked out of the cinema. "It was scary."

"That's the point," Sousuke said, his hand in Makoto's warm one. "I chose that so you would cling on to me half the time while you scream your head off."

"I did _not_ scream." Makoto pouted even more, and lightly elbowed Sousuke's arm. "You're so mean."

"You weren't saying that when we were in there." Sousuke teased, his thumb running along Makoto's knuckles.

They were walking back to their apartments after the movie. Makoto looked up at the sky when the rumble of thunder sounded. Dark clouds loomed above in large grey clumps, precariously hanging over their heads, blotting out the silver color of the moon.

"It's going to rain." Sousuke frowned. They were still a long way from walking back to their apartments.

Makoto tugged on his hand. "Walk faster or we'll get caught in the rain."

They sped up, fingers still intertwined with each other's. Despite their efforts, it began to pour when they were halfway there.

It wasn't even a light drizzle—it was raining buckets. So much rain was falling that the sound blurred into one long, whirring noise. It was like the flood-gates in the sky have been opened and no-one was there to close them back up.

Makoto squealed and they both ran under the roof of a nearby shop. It was long closed by now, so they couldn't go in. All they could do was stand under its roof, bathed in yellow light by one of the nearby street-lamps, listening to the heavy drumming of rain droplets against the roof.

"Oh man." Makoto gave a small laugh, brushing his damp sleeves and wiping his glasses with the hem of his shirt.

Sousuke was laughing too—it was the thrill and the adrenaline from running, it made them both giddy. He looked up at the sky, "It doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon." It really didn't. The rain looked like it was growing heavier and heavier with each passing second.

"But we can't wait here." Makoto checked his watch. "It's getting really late."

Sousuke spotted the worrying tone in Makoto's voice. He exhaled, thinking of a way. "Okay, we're not that far from our apartments, so I suggest we run."

"Beats standing here waiting." Makoto nodded. "Okay, let's go."

"Wait," Sousuke grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "Here." He undid his jacket and placed it on Makoto's head.

"Sousuke, what are you doing?"

"I don't want you to get sick."

"But what about you?"

 ~~You matter more.~~ "I'll be okay." Sousuke said— _vampires didn't get sick anyway, right?_ — adjusting his jacket so it wouldn't fall off Makoto's head. He stepped back, assessing his work, before he offered an outstretched hand to Makoto. "You ready?"

Makoto nodded, and took his hand, and then it was just a blur of rushed footsteps and jumping over puddles and the sound of wind whipping past their ears. The raindrops were falling so hard they actually hurt when they hit Sousuke's skin. He pulled Makoto closer to him.

They finally reached Makoto's apartment.

"Aren't you going to come in?" Makoto asked.

Sousuke shook his head. "No, my apartment is just a few blocks away."

"Your jacket—" Makoto reached up to undo it but Sousuke shook his head again.

"Keep it for now. You can give it to me the next time we meet." And then he was off before Makoto even had a chance to protest.

He made it back to his apartment in one piece, drenched and soaked to the bone. And for the next day, he took a leave from work.

Apparently, vampires did get sick after all.

\------------  
It was their sixth date—not that Sousuke was counting—and he had brought Makoto out for a late evening picnic, where it wasn't too hot and most people were dispersing from the park already, so they could have their peace without the trouble of screaming kids. Sousuke had even prepared food. He figured that he didn't want Makoto to go through another typical (boring) date of movies and dinner after the first few times.

Makoto had been beyond thrilled. And grateful. He practically leaned in and pecked Sousuke on the cheek with a small kiss, before dissolving into a blushing mess. Sousuke, on the other hand, nearly passed out.

"Here's a good spot." Sousuke indicated to a patch of grass near the lake. He pulled out a blanket from the picnic basket and spread it on the ground.

"Look at the sky." Makoto pointed excitedly, tugging at Sousuke to sit down beside him.

They ate the sandwiches made by Sousuke and drank some juice, while watching the setting sun cast shades of orange and pink and purple in the sky. Sousuke subtlety placed his hand on Makoto's, hoping he wouldn't pull away.

Instead, Makoto only tightened his fingers around Sousuke's.

Sousuke smiled.

"Do you like it?" Sousuke said. He could even hear the nervousness in his own voice.

"I love it, Sousuke." Makoto nodded, he sounded teary, "Thank you. This is beautiful."

"I wanted to try something different than going to watch a movie." Sousuke said.

They ate a bit more and continued talking. The sun had long set, and now the sky was dark and scattered with stars.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" Makoto breathed, his eyes staring up in awe at the sky.

"Yeah," Sousuke whispered, his eyes looking at the brown-haired gem in front of him. Makoto was even more stunning than any rock in outer space. "Beautiful."

"Kiss me." Makoto said.

Sousuke stared at Makoto. It must be the wind in his ears. Or his imagination. Or maybe the juice was getting to his system. No way did he just hear Makoto say that to him.

"Kiss me." Makoto said it again.

And Sousuke did.

Their lips touched and Sousuke's world melted away. The kiss was soft, and Makoto's lips felt like they were made from the clouds of Heaven. Sousuke's eyes were closed, and in the darkness he saw sparks exploding behind his eyelids. The warmth of Makoto's lips flooded through his body, like liquid fire in his veins, rushing through every corner of his body— the tips of his ears, the crooks of his elbows, the spaces between his fingers. All he could focus on was Makoto.

They pulled away after that, both breathless and red in the face. Makoto leaned his forehead against Sousuke's.

"I must have done something really good." Sousuke breathed. "To get to meet someone like you."

Makoto closed his eyes and hummed in content.

Just then Sousuke's phone started ringing, interrupting the moment. He pulled it out of his pocket.

"It's Rin."

"Answer it."

"Hello?" Sousuke said.

He expected some crappy joke from Rin about them—'use protection kids'—or just a casual call to check up on things. It was as though Rin took it upon himself to look out for Sousuke's love life. Sousuke had already gotten half used to it by now.

What he _didn't_ expect to hear however, was Rin's frantic voice on the other side of the line.

"Sousuke— _Sousuke_ , you have to help me..." Rin sounded like he was crying. Half of his words didn't even sound coherent. He was just a blabbering mess. "Please, you have to—"

"Rin," Sousuke said, growing increasingly worried. "Rin, calm down. What's going on?" He could see Makoto's worried face from the corner of his eye.

"It was an accident—I swear. We were just kissing and then," Rin was sounding more and more hysterical. "I couldn't control it. I couldn't...I bit Haruka. And then the venom was—" he broke off. "Oh my god, Sousuke—there's so much blood. Sousuke, I—"

"Rin, calm down. I'm coming over right now." He hung up.

"What's wrong?" Makoto must have spotted his stricken expression. "Did something happen to Rin?"

"Makoto, I'm sorry but we have to go."

\-------

Rin's apartment was deadly quiet. It only added to Sousuke's panic. He tried listening to any sounds—he could hear a heartbeat upstairs.

"Rin?" He called.

Before he could even blink, Rin appeared in front of him. Makoto gasped and reeled back in shock.

"H-how..."

Rin looked _feral_. His eyes were wild and bloodshot. His fangs weren't out, but he was snarling at the both of them. Sousuke's seen this happening before to other vampires—Rin's instincts had almost completely taken over. His own instincts reared up, trying to protect his mate from what they deemed to be danger, but he pushed it back down. Now wasn't the time—Rin needed help.

"Rin," he approached the man slowly, tilting his neck to the side to show submission. "Rin, it's Sousuke. I'm here to help you."

Slowly, Rin stopped snarling. His eyes regained focus on the two figures in front of him, but mostly Sousuke.

"Sousuke!" He cried, recognizing him now. "Haru—I bit him. I couldn't control myself, I turned him. I—"

Before he could get worked up again, Sousuke stepped forward and gripped both of Rin's shoulders, steadying him. "Rin, _focus_. Where is Haruka now?"

"U-upstairs."

"Okay, let's go."

He let Rin lead them up the steps, turning around and grabbing Makoto's cold hand in his.

"Sousuke..." Makoto's voice was small and scared. "Sousuke, what's going on?"

"I'll explain everything later, I promise." He felt the flame of protectiveness flaring up again just by seeing the fear in Makoto's eyes. "Just stay close to me for now."

Makoto nodded and his fingers curled around Sousuke's.

Rin brought them to a bathroom. There in the bathtub lay Haruka. His skin was pale and grey. His eyes rolled to the back of his head until they were white. Bluish veins strained against skin near Haruka's temples.

"Haru!" Makoto cried, almost launching himself forward in panic, but Sousuke held tight to his hand, pulling him back gently but firmly.

Haruka's body spasmed violently and uncontrollably. His spine arched violently as his body slammed against the bathtub again and again. More blood spattered from his wound to the side of the bathtub. Sousuke reached for a towel nearby to place it under Haruka's head while Rin tried to stop the seizures.

"There was venom in the bite." Sousuke turned Haruka's head, inspecting the bite on his neck. It looked bruised and purple.

Rin's bite.

"Haru!" Rin shouted when Haru's body spasm again. A sob escaped his lips. He grabbed Haruka's hand and pressed his lips to the cold knuckles. "Oh my god! I'm sorry. Oh god, I didn't mean to..."

Haruka jerked all of a sudden, and he slumped against the bathtub, his body lay limp.

He wasn't moving.

"He's dead," Rin sobbed. "I killed him."

"He's not dead. Listen to his heartbeat."

They all stilled, though Makoto couldn't hear anything. Sousuke knew the moment Rin heard it—Haru's heartbeat, slow and weak—because he gave a small sob of relief and launched forward, cradling Haru's head in his head.

"I'm here sweetheart," he said, "I'm so sorry, baby—I'm so sorry..."

"He may turn," Sousuke said, watching Rin carefully. "Or he may not."

"May?" Rin turned around. He looked tired, and Sousuke felt bad.

"The transition—he may or may not turn. It really depends whether his body chooses to accept or reject the venom."

"If...if it doesn't?" Rin asked, though he looked like he already knew the answer.

"Then he'll die." Sousuke said, instantly feeling Makoto stiffen beside him.

Rin was quiet. Silent tears trickled down his cheeks. Sousuke stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Rin, there's nothing we can do, but wait."

He nodded, but it was like he wasn't listening.

"We'll give you a moment."

Both Sousuke and Makoto walked out of the bathroom.

"Sousuke, what's going on?" Makoto asked. "What's happening to Haru?"

"I—I don't..." Sousuke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he racked his brains, trying to think of an explanation. He had always thought that if— _when_ —he breaks the news to Makoto, it would be over his apartment, preferably during a snuggle-fest where things were cozy and intimate. He didn't expect for something like this to happen. He didn't expect Rin to lose control. He didn't expect to expose his identity to Makoto in Rin's apartment, with Rin crying beside Haruka who was at-the-verge-of-dying in the bathtub a room away.

"Haru—he's becoming a vampire." Sousuke didn't know how else to put it, except to just say it directly like it is.

"What?" Makoto said, pursing his lips. "Sousuke, now is not the time to be joking around."

"Makoto, I'm not joking." He felt Makoto's eyes studying his face.

"A vampire?" Makoto echoed, and it was obvious he didn't believe Sousuke at all. "Sousuke—"

"Rin and I...we're vampires." Sousuke said slowly, as though Makoto was a sheet of thin ice and his words had the ability to break him in an instant. When he saw Makoto's affronted expression, he quickly said, "I can prove it to you."

Makoto crossed his arms, disbelief was written all over clearly in his face. "Okay then, prove it."

Sousuke took a deep breath. He felt his gums stretch as his twin fangs unsheathed into view. They pricked at his lower lip.

Makoto's face had paled. His arms fell to his sides. "Sousuke..."

"Makoto..." It was hard to talk with his fangs in the way, so he retracted them back. "Are you—are you okay?"

"I—" Makoto pressed a hand to his forehead. Sousuke was getting awfully worried by now, Makoto was losing color faster than Haruka was in the bathroom. His heart rate had shot up so much that it was drumming against Sousuke's skull. He stumbled backwards and Sousuke moved forward to steady him. "I just—"

Those were his last words before his eyes rolled towards the back of his head, and he toppled backward like a limp doll.

But not before Sousuke caught him.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dunnnn....
> 
> What do you think's going to happen to Haru and Makoto when he wakes up?
> 
> Which POV do you guys think I should write in on the next chapter?(: 
> 
> Comments and kudos if you've enjoyed it!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto finds out about vampires, but not in the way how Sousuke wanted him to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the late chapter I was sick for the week. But here it is! Enjoy ≧◡≦

It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

It wasn't supposed to happen _at all_.

_Fuck, how did this even happened?_

It was a normal evening. Him and Haruka were lying on their bed, watching a movie. Rin was lying behind Haruka, their backs facing the wall. He had an arm slung carelessly around Haruka's waist. He leaned in and nuzzled Haruka's neck affectionately, taking in the smell of fresh rain in which he loved so much. He couldn't exactly remember who initiated the kissing, but all he knew was that at one moment they were watching movies, and the next they were kissing in the dark. It was getting heated when Haruka's tongue licked at Rin's bottom lip, eliciting a low growl from Rin.

"Rin." Haruka whispered, his voice strained as Rin's mouth moved to his neck. "Rin, I love you. I love you so much."

There was something in the way Haruka had said it—something in his tone—that made it different than all the times he uttered those words to Rin. It made Rin teared up.

"I love you too." He said, his voice hoarse with emotion.

Haruka shuddered under him, his head falling back, unknowingly baring his neck openly in submission.

Haruka's words triggered something within Rin. He felt his fangs start to unsheathe from out of his gums. His eyes widened in realization, but he couldn't stop himself. He had never lost control before, not like this.

_Fuck, he couldn't stop!_

His eyes zeroed in the junction of Haruka's neck. _He needed to..._

"Rin?" Haruka's whimpered, his voice laced with fear and panic when he saw Rin's fangs.

On instinct, Rin struck, sinking his two gleaming fangs into Haruka's neck.

Haruka cried out in pain and shock. He pressed both hands to Rin's chest, trying to push him away. But Rin was too strong. He wasn't listening. "Rin!"

Rin latched on tightly, his arms holding Haruka captive. He sucked hard on Haruka's neck, drawing in the sweet taste of his blood, swallowing down the heavenly liquid. Haruka was crying by now, tears cascading down his cheeks as he tried to shove Rin away.

A strange warmth was rushing through Rin fangs into Haruka's body.

Venom.

_He needed to..._

Rin threw his head back and snarled in triumph, fangs dripping red blood down the sheets.

Beneath him, Haruka shuddered and went limp, passing out.

\---------

Rin lifted himself up with a gasp. _What just happened?_

  
He had never lost control like that before.

He touched his canines, puzzled—his fangs had retracted back into his gums but he could still taste the metallic taste of blood on his tongue.

Haruka's blood.

Rin's eyes widened.

 _Fuck_. He bit Haruka.

"Haru?" Rin asked frantically, eyes scanning across the boy. Haruka didn't respond and that was when Rin saw the bite on his neck.

He felt his own blood freeze in his veins.

The wound—Rin knew, just by looking at it, that it wasn't just a normal bite. Already, black spidery lines were spreading from the bite on Haru's skin. The wound was deep and blood was flowing steadily onto the sheets, staining them red.

"Oh my god, Haru!" Rin cried, trying to wake the boy though it was to no avail. "Haru! Oh god, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to...."

He scooped Haruka up, and carried him to the bathroom, where he laid the boy into the bathtub. Grabbing a few towels, he soaked them with water and pressed them against Haruka's wound. They came away red minutes later. Haruka was bleeding too fast for Rin to re-wash the towels. Soon, blood was spilling through Rin's fingers onto the bathtub.

"Haru!" Rin whimpered. Tears were starting to escape from his eyes. Fear gripped at him like a vice when he saw more blood. He didn't even notice his hands shaking.

He did the one thing he could think of— he pulled out his phone and dialed Sousuke's number.

\-------

"Sousuke!" Makoto bolted upright from Rin's living room couch in which he was lying on for the past hour. His eyes were wide and his breathing came out in short gasps.

"Shh, I'm here. It's alright." Sousuke soothed. "I'm right here." He reached over to brush Makoto's sweaty bangs away from his face, before placing a cool hand on Makoto's forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"

Makoto nodded. His eyes closed for a second but they flew open when he remembered everything. His head snapped towards Sousuke so fast he could have given himself a whiplash. "You—you were..." Makoto trailed off, eyes wide.  
.  
"Makoto..." Sousuke sighed.

"You weren't lying—you are a vampire."

"Yes, I am."

They were both quiet for a while—Makoto, as he was trying to register the truth, and Sousuke who was too nervous, waiting for Makoto's reaction.

"Oh wow." Makoto said, leaning his head back on the couch. Sousuke was worried he was going to pass out again.

"Makoto I'm sorry," Sousuke started, "I should have told you earlier—"

"No wait, stop," Makoto raised a hand, cutting him off, "you have nothing to apologize for." When Sousuke remained quiet, he continued. "I don't blame you. You were not obliged to tell me."

"But I didn't plan to tell you like this—"

"Sousuke," Makoto said, and he held Sousuke's gaze as he said it, "as much as I feel like I've known you forever, we've only really just met recently. When you meet someone, do you just dump all your secrets, your past to them?"

Sousuke let his hand drop to his side. "I—I guess not."

"My point exactly." Makoto said, seemingly satisfied with himself.

Sousuke wanted to kiss him so badly at that moment.

"There's one more thing I should tell you." Sousuke said, hesitating on his next words. "You're my mate."

"Oh." Makoto said, looking stunned.

"It's basically when—"

"Sousuke." Makoto stopped him, face flushing a beet red. "I think I have an idea of what mates are."

"You do?" Sousuke exclaimed.

"Supernatural fiction." Makoto made a face. "I've read about it before. But you should probably confirm which parts are true and which are not."

"Well it's pretty simple. It's just a more intense bond than a normal relationship. And our instincts are geared towards protecting our mate at all costs. When one loses their mate, the other vampire would probably get driven into madness or death because the pain would be too much."

"Is that everything?"

"That's all there is."

Makoto grew quiet. "Are Haruka and Rin mates?"

Sousuke nodded.

"Makoto, ever since I met you," Sousuke said softly, "I realized something."

"Hm, and what is that?" Makoto tilted his head in question.

"The only perk of being a vampire is having a mate." Sousuke smiled. And he meant it. He didn't care about the super strength and super senses. He cared about Makoto. Makoto was the only thing that mattered.

It was like The Before and The After. All the days before he met Makoto seemed too insignificant, just a blur of days that were dull and uneventful. Then Makoto came along. And it was like he brought the sun into Sousuke's life along with every good thing in existence. Suddenly, the world seemed to regain its color again. And life was not just about surviving anymore—it was more than that.  
Makoto made Sousuke want to live again.

His mate's face turned red and flushed. "You're just saying that."

"Makoto," Sousuke said, gazing deeply into Makoto's eyes so he knew how serious Sousuke was. "I mean every word I say."

Makoto flushed deeper.

"Well, I'm glad that's settled." Sousuke stood up from the couch, clearing his throat. The tips of his ears were turning red. "Are you going to pass out on me again?"

"No," Makoto smiled and he reached over to link his fingers with Sousuke's. "I'll try not to."

\-------

Rin stared at Haruka's unmoving body on the bed. He had decided to move him from the bathroom after the wound had stopped spilling blood. Though he looked as white as a corpse, his whole body burned with high fever that wouldn't calm down no matter what Rin did.

It had been an hour.

And _god_ , Haruka still looked pale and weak and fragile. Rin had been so afraid to move him. He broke him once, he didn’t want to break him again.

Sousuke had tried to get him out of the room, and though he understood his good intentions, Rin refused. He _couldn't_ leave. How could he leave after what he had done?

It was all his fault.

Haruka was like this because of him.

"Rin..."

His head shot up.

Haruka's eyes were hooded and glazed over with pain.

"Rin..." He barely managed to croak out. He reached a trembling hand out, and Rin grabbed on, clasping his tightly.

"I'm sorry," Rin whispered, "I know you didn't want to turn."

Haruka smiled weakly but he didn't say anything. Rin wasn't sure if he wanted to disagree or if he was in too much pain to answer back.

\--------

Another hour had passed.

Haruka's body burned to the touch. He was delirious with pain, crying out and mumbling incoherent things half of the time. Rin wondered briefly if he himself acted this way when he first changed into a vampire.

"Rin," Haruka moaned. "It hurts..."

"I know," Rin said, swallowing around the lump in his throat. "I know."

And he _did_ know. He knew just how painful the change was—he remembered it all too clearly.

He wanted to apologize a million times—the words were just at the tip of his tongue—but he pushed them back down. A million apologies were not going to take the pain away right now. And his self-loathing was not going to help Haruka in any way.

Sousuke had came in the room with Makoto trailing beside him a short while ago. Rin was too busy worrying about his mate to think about what might Makoto be thinking at the moment. He really appreciated the fact that Makoto wasn't bombarding him with questions at the moment.

"Here," Sousuke had handed him a pail of water and a cloth—he must have gotten it with the help of Makoto who was much more familiar around Rin's house. "It'll help."

It was as though Sousuke had seen something like this before, like he knew exactly what to do. Rin shouldn't be surprised. Sousuke did mention that he was a vampire hunter.

Rin held Haruka's hand as he pat the damp cloth on the boy's heated body. He doubt it would work, but he was ready to believe Sousuke and desperate to try just about anything.

"Rin..." Haru moaned again and the sound broke Rin's heart.

He wanted to tell him that everything was going to be okay. But everything was not okay. Everything was spiraling downwards, spinning out of Rin's control, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Haruka's eyes were closed, his breathing labored. And as Rin listened, his shallow heartbeat started to slow down. It beat weaker and weaker by the second.

Until it didn't.

"Haru?" Rin felt his own breath leave him. "Haru!"

Haruka lay unresponsive on the bed. He wasn't moaning in pain anymore. But he wasn't answering either. The blue eyes that Rin loved so much remained hidden behind his closed lids.

"Haru! No, no—Haru!" Rin cried. He grabbed at Haruka's shoulders, "Haruka!"

He couldn't see anything from the tears in his eyes. His mouth tasted salty. His whole body felt numb. He was screaming. He knew that much. He could tell because he could feel every agonizing sound ripping out from his throat. He couldn't move—couldn't think.

Hands grabbed at his shoulders. They were pulling him away. Pulling him away from Haruka. He tried to shake them. He thrashed, trying to shake them off. He couldn't let them take him away. Rin reached out for him.

"Let go of me!" He screamed. " _He needs me!_ "

Haru's not dead.

Haru's _not_ dead.

He couldn't be dead.

Rin was trying to remember how to breathe.

 _Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale_.

_The sound of blood rushing through his ears. Black spots clouding at the edges of his vision. Haruka drifting further and further away from him._

That was the last thing that registered in his mind before everything went black.

\----------

Sousuke sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

It was Rin who was lying unconscious on the couch this time. There were still tear-tracks on his face. He had worn himself out crying. His brows were furrowed as he was engrossed in a pitiful sleep.

Sousuke's chest ached seeing him like this. Rin's expression when Sousuke had pulled him out of the room, was something Sousuke would never forget.

He had never seen anyone looked so lost—so _terrified_. Rin didn't even look like that when Sousuke first found him after he became a vampire.

Of all his early years of a vampire hunter, Sousuke had never seen a vampire lose their mate before. He had only ever heard of it. He had heard stories of how the pain would be too much—that it would drive a vampire to madness eventually, or worse, death. One cannot possibly survive without the other.

The sound of a door closing made him look up. Makoto came out of the room, his eyes rimmed red and puffy. He noticed Sousuke watching him, and quickly wiped away any remaining tears on his eyes, sniffling.

"How is he?" Sousuke asked softly.

Makoto shook his head, and it seemed like he was going to burst out crying. Sousuke stood up and took him into his arms, where Makoto finally broke down sobbing. Sousuke wounded his arms tighter around Makoto, as though he was trying to keep the pieces together; trying to keep Makoto from breaking apart. Makoto's shoulders shook as sobs wracked his body, he kept shaking his head.

"He—he wasn't breathing." Makoto cried into Sousuke's chest, "I kept calling his name—but he...he didn't—" He was crying so hard he couldn't catch his breath. He wailed, and his broad shoulders shook in despair.

"We can't be sure if he's dead yet." Sousuke said, rubbing his hands up and down Makoto's arm in an attempt to soothe his mate. "He's still transitioning."

That was the tricky part about the change. If a human was turning, their heartbeat would stop eventually. They would stop breathing. It was either because they were dead or going through transition. Sousuke was desperate enough to cling on to that shred of hope that Haruka had made it through the change and that the only reason his heart wasn't beating anymore was because he was a vampire.

"But—but what if..."

"He's going through a lot of pain right now. But Haruka's strong, and there's a chance he will survive this." Sousuke didn't want to make any promises he couldn't keep. He didn't want to mention that there was a chance Haruka _wouldn't_ survive this. He had seen humans turning into vampires before—he had experienced it himself— and he knew the whole ordeal wasn't pleasant. It was risky and painful to watch, even for a heartless vampire hunter. It was even more painful to watch someone he knew go through something like that.

"How about Rin?" Makoto looked up at him, "How is he?"

"Still knocked out." Sousuke sighed.

“Is he going to be okay?” Makoto bit his lip.

“Yeah, he just—he was really upset.”

“There’s still a chance Haru will be alive right?” Makoto asked. Looking at the unshed tears in his eyes and his trembling bottom lip, Sousuke didn’t have the heart to disappoint him. He felt as though if he were to break the news, he wouldn’t just be breaking it to Makoto, he’d be breaking it to _himself_. He was strong—he knew he was strong—but at that moment, he felt like he couldn’t muster up the strength to do that.

“Yeah, we’ll just have to wait.” Usually the change took place in the duration of about twelve hours. So if Haruka didn’t wake up in a period longer than that, they would know.

Sousuke didn’t want to think about it.

“At least—at least Haru has us…” Makoto said tentatively, “When you had your change, were you…”

“I—“ Sousuke didn’t really liked talking about his experience. “I was alone.”

“Oh,” Makoto’s voice dropped, and he looked like he regretted asking. “I’m sorry, I—“

A groan interrupted them. Both of their heads snapped to the couch, where Rin’s eyes were just starting to open. Sousuke tensed, and reached over, putting a slightly puzzled Makoto behind him. Sousuke could smell the scent of aggression making it’s way in the air from Rin’s direction and though it was only mild, it was growing stronger. Rin was his friend and Sousuke would never wish to harm him but his own instincts screamed at him to protect his mate from the danger they were facing.

“Rin?” He asked cautiously.

Before Sousuke could even blink, Rin was up from the couch and in the next second, he had a hand against Sousuke’s neck, slamming Sousuke against the wall so hard Sousuke could feel the walls shake.

Makoto who had been pushed aside by Sousuke upon Rin’s advancement, was left sprawled on the floor. His eyes widened at the sight. “Sousuke!”

“Makoto,” Sousuke gritted his teeth, struggling to speak with Rin’s hand nearly crushing his windpipe. “Makoto—stay away.” Rin was dangerous, and there was no way in hell Sousuke would allow Makoto to put himself in danger by coming any nearer. _Over his_ _dead body_.

Though he was snarling at Sousuke, Rin’s eyes were unfocused. Sousuke knew what was going on—he’d actually half expected it to happen the minute Rin woke up. Rin was in denial. He believed that Haruka was still alive and that everyone else was a threat, keeping him away from his mate.

Sousuke was bigger —and more possibly stronger—than Rin. He used it to his advantage. Rin snarled at him, and lunged at him again but he spun around and grabbed him in a headlock. “Makoto, there’s a syringe in my bag, give it to me!”

Makoto scrambled to Sousuke’s bag, with the sound of Rin’s violent thrashing in the background, and dug for the syringe Sousuke was talking about. He found it—it was filled with some form of transparent liquid. “Sousuke!” He threw the syringe. It went flying mid-air to Sousuke who caught it with his free arm.

He plunged the tip of the needle into Rin’s neck.

Almost instantly, Rin’s body went limp in Sousuke’s arms as the fight went out of him.

“W‑What did you give him?”

“Holy water.” Sousuke grunted, and lifted Rin’s unconscious body back on the couch. “It’s harmful to vampires. A small dosage won’t hurt though,” He added, seeing Makoto’s concerned face, “just enough to knock him out.”  
  
“Why would you have holy water in your bag?” Makoto asked, his voice dropping in suspicion. “You said it hurts vampires but you're…” Sousuke could just hear the words even when Makoto didn't say it _.You're a vampire yourself_. Makoto eyed Rin on the couch warily before those green orbs flickered back to Sousuke.

“I was a vampire hunter once.” Sousuke said, keeping his tone as monotonous as possible though it was like he couldn’t bring his eyes to meet Makoto’s. “I guess old habits die hard.”

He could still feel Makoto’s eyes on him as he turned around and picked up the syringe from the floor. He tucked it back into his bag. “You should get some rest. It’s getting really late and Haruka won’t be waking up until tomorrow.” _If he wakes up that is,_ Sousuke thought.

Makoto was quiet for a while. His gaze fluttered nervously back to Rin. And then he nodded. “What about you?”

“I’ll keep watch. Don’t worry.” ~~I won’t let anything happen to you.~~

Sousuke kept true to his word. He was awake even until the first rays of dawn started peeking in from the peep of the living room curtains. Thankfully, Rin was out cold the whole time. Sousuke had quietly placed his jacket over Makoto’s sleeping form on the other couch, some time in the night. He had even checked up on Haruka several times, though the boy remained unmoving.

Now he rubbed his palms over his tired eyes. He was exhausted. Sure, it wasn't the first time he had to stay up all night. But it was the first time he had to deal with two knocked-out people on the same day and worry about his friend who they couldn't even be sure was alive at that moment.

He checked his watch and jumped up when he realized that Haruka could be waking up any time now. Looking around him, Rin wasn’t conscious yet and Makoto was still asleep. It must have been taxing—to realize your boyfriend was a vampire and then having to be told that your best friend was becoming one in the exact same night.

He stared at Makoto's peaceful face. Sousuke didn’t want to wake him up.

He grabbed his bag and opened the door to the bedroom. Haruka was still lying on the bed, eyes closed. Sousuke closed the door quietly behind him—he wasn't sure why, it wasn't as though Haruka would be disturbed.

He made his way to the side of the bed. Looking down at the blue-eyed boy, Sousuke felt a pang of pity course through him for Haruka. Whether he survived this or not, he was still going to end up in a predicament that he never asked for in the first place. Though it wasn't Sousuke's fault, he still felt responsible and guilty.

He checked his watch.

 _Anytime now_.

When the sun was fully up now, blazing through the flimsy see-through curtains, Sousuke held his breath.

Five minutes passed. Haruka still didn't move.

Sousuke's heart sank.

Haruka didn't make it.

He was really dead.

And they wouldn't even know the actual time he had died.

Sousuke felt the first sting of tears behind his eyes, and he blinked, not wanting them to fall. He may not have known Haruka for long, but Haruka was always so good to him from the moment they had met. He had been kind and accepting and good to Rin too.

It was just yesterday when Haruka was still up and breathing and teasing Sousuke about his date. And now, he's lying here, still and motionless. _Dead_.

Haruka didn't deserve this.

Sousuke almost didn't want to walk out of the room. He was going to have to break the news to Rin and Makoto. He wouldn't be able to stand the heartbroken looks on their faces. But at the same time, he couldn't bear being in the room anymore. It was too suffocating. He made his way out of the room. He couldn't stand looking at the boy on the bed any longer.

Just as Sousuke was walking out, slight movement from the bed caught his eye. He stilled, breath caught in his throat.

Haruka had moved. He was sure of it.

"Haru?" He called out uncertainly, not wanting to put his hopes up.

A groan. And then as Sousuke watched with amazement and flooding relief, Haruka's eyes blinked opened. They stared up at the ceiling for a while, as though he was wondering where he was and how he got here. His brows furrowed towards the middle, the corners of his lip turned downwards.

"Haru?" Sousuke asked again, not daring to believe what he was seeing as he neared the bed.

Haru's eyes flickered over to him and for a frightening second, it was like he didn't recognize Sousuke. He opened his mouth but no words came. He croaked—a small, pathetic sound— with chapped lips, voice scratchy and hoarse.

"It's okay." Sousuke reassured, and he dug into his bag hurriedly, pulling out a bottle filled with red liquid. Haruka's eyes darkened. "I've got blood." He handed it over and Haruka moved so fast, Sousuke almost missed it. Within a second, he was tipping the bottle to his lips, swallowing its contents.

It was disturbing. Sousuke was supposed to be used to it by now—watching other vampires feed. He fed too. But Haruka was supposed to be human. That was how Sousuke had always viewed him as. Rin and him were the vampires and Haru was the human in their group—that was how it was supposed to work.

It had always made Haruka queasy to take in the sight of Rin feeding, as much as he claimed it didn't—Sousuke and Rin had always avoided feeding in front of him. And now, seeing him gulping down blood without a second thought of unease, as though it was as natural as taking in air, made Sousuke shift restlessly.

When he had finished, Haruka wiped his mouth with his arm, leaving a red streak across it. He let out a sigh of contentment, his eyes closed. When he opened them, they were back to his natural blue color. He looked around the room.

"Sousuke?" He asked, confusion evident in his features.

"Haru..."

It was then Haruka saw the bottle—now empty—in his hand. His eyes widened as the realization of what he'd just done dawned upon him. He chucked the bottle away from him as though it was vile and repulsive.

"Wha—"

"Haruka." Sousuke said cautiously, eyeing the boy. He was sure Haruka was going to throw up any time soon from the taste of coppery blood in his mouth.

"I—I'm a..." Haruka stammered, looking shocked and stunned at the same time. He stared at the red streak on his arm.

At the same time, Rin burst through the door, his eyes frenzy and hair wild. "Haru?" When he saw his mate, he let out a wet sob of relief. "Haru, oh my god!"

Sousuke stepped aside when Rin barreled forward, clutching Haruka in his arms. He was crying, they both were.

"Haru," Rin was peppering him with kisses all over his face, his arms never loosening their hold. "Haru, you're alive." He sobbed. "Oh thank god, you're alive."

Sousuke decided give the both of them space to talk things through so he stepped out of the room. Haruka was going to be okay now. He was alive and that was all that mattered.

\----------

When they had both stopped crying, Rin was the one who spoke up first.

"Haru, I—"

"I know what you're going to say." Haruka said, staring down at the sheets, one hand wiping the moisture off his eyes. "But that's not what I want to hear."

"I don't understand—"

"Rin. You know when I was dying," Haruka said softly, and Rin flinched at the word. "and I felt like the pain was going to kill me, did you know what was going on in my mind?"

"You were probably hating me for causing you so much pain."

"No," Haruka shook his head, "at first I was confused and hurt, I didn't know what was going on. But then, I remember feeling so afraid. I could feel myself slipping away and I was afraid that once I don't have the strength to keep my eyes open anymore, I won't ever be able to see you again."

Rin inhaled sharply.

Haruka continued, "I didn't want the last image of you to be one where you were crying and in pain. Over me." He exhaled shakily. "I fought so hard to stay awake. I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet."

"Haru...you never wanted to turn..." Rin said, looking down, his bangs falling over his eyes. "But I did that to you."

"Rin, it's bound to happen anyway." Haruka said, rubbing his thumb over the back of Rin's hand. "You would have to turn me sooner or later."

"I know, but I just wished it didn't happen in such a way." Rin growled in frustration and anger at himself.

"Would you have wanted a romantic moonlit dinner and rose petals on the bed first?" Haruka teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Haru," Rin sighed, exasperated. "I'm serious here."

"And I don't want you to be." Haruka scooted over so he was sitting on Rin's lap, where Rin tensed up. "Haven't you ever thought that you can't hurt me now? Now that I'm a vampire?"

Rin's eyes widened. "Haru—"

"Now that I'm a vampire, we have the same strength. You don't have to be scared of hurting me anymore." Haruka smiled.

"I wasn't scared—" Rin tried to protest.

"As much as you lightened up after the last time, don't think for a second that I didn't notice that you were still being extremely careful around me." Haruka narrowed his eyes at him and Rin cowered back at his accusing gaze.

"I—"

"And being a vampire isn't that bad. I mean, except for the blood-drinking part," Haruka winced. His gaze softened when he turned to look at Rin. "I'm not going to make a big fuss about being turned into a vampire since there's really no point. I figured that the last few hours were punishing enough to you already."

"Yeah," Rin agreed, his eyes squeezing shut tightly at the memory. "I've never been more afraid in my entire life."

"Rin, I told you before—and I did mean it," Haruka said, "we'll get through this together. I love you and nothing's going to change that. Okay?"

"Okay." Rin said, still doubtful. He couldn't get over the fact that he had almost killed his mate. He was lucky he was given a second chance.

"Honestly Rin," Haruka reached over and grabbed Rin's hands reassuringly. "Everything is going to be alright now."

"Alright." Rin sighed, squeezing his hands. "I'm just glad you're okay." ~~I was so worried.~~

"And Rin," Haruka said, his eyes gleaming. Rin thought they looked the most beautiful in all the times he had ever gazed upon them.

"You never told me you smell like cherry blossoms."

\----------

In the living room, Makoto was still fast asleep, oblivious to what was happening around him. Sousuke went over and tenderly brushed a few brown strands of hair away from his forehead. Makoto stirred, those green eyes— that Sousuke loved so dearly— opening groggily.

"Is Haru—"

"He's awake." Sousuke said softly, watching Makoto's eyes widened before he scrambled up hurriedly. Sousuke stopped him from rushing over to the room.

"Rin's talking to him."

"Ah..." Makoto slumped back on the couch. He looked much rested than he was hours ago and Sousuke was grateful Makoto managed to catch a few hours of sleep, even if it meant he had to stay awake the whole time. "Is he okay though?"

"He's alright now." Sousuke said. "A bit confused, but hopefully Rin's helping him through that."

"Is he a..." Makoto asked.

Sousuke nodded quietly in response.

Sousuke seated himself on the other side of the couch. He could hear murmurs coming from the room and he reckoned that Rin and Haru were talking about what happened. They needed to come to terms of it sooner or later.

"Guess I should have taken your word for it," Makoto said, after a pause. "about—about Haru surviving."

"You didn't believe me?" Sousuke asked, he sounded weary but there was no anger in his tone.

"I don't know what to believe anymore." Makoto said quietly. "I meant it, you know—when I said that I'm not mad at you for keeping this from me, but I guess I just need some time to take it all in."

"I understand." Sousuke said, though there was a small part of him that _didn't_ want to understand. He wished he could say more than just two words, but his mouth kept closed. He wanted to apologize—it seemed like the right thing to do—but at this point, he didn't know what he'd be saying sorry for. He knew Makoto had been acting tensed ever since he pulled out the holy water from his bag and he could understand why. Holy water was supposed to hurt vampires and Sousuke had it in his possession, no wonder it would raise Makoto's suspicions that Sousuke wasn't telling him everything. It physically ached to think that his own mate couldn't trust him but now that he thought about it, Sousuke hadn't really given him a reason to.

_It sounded like they were breaking up._

"Makoto—" he said, only to be interrupted by Rin coming out of the room.

Makoto stood up from the couch when Rin gestured to the room. "Makoto, Haru wants to talk to you."

When Makoto had gone, Rin settled on the couch where Makoto was sitting, his face in his palms.

"Everything okay?" Sousuke asked.

Rin sighed, letting his hands fall from his face. He gave Sousuke a weary smile. "Yeah, everything is okay."

"Haru's okay with..." Sousuke trailed off. "With all of this?"

"Yeah, he's...handling it pretty well." Rin said and after a while he added, "Sousuke—I want to say thank you. I wouldn't have known what to do without you. And for attacking you earlier, I—"

"Don't worry about it, it was just your instincts." Sousuke said. "I'm sorry for knocking you out with holy water."

Rin gave a small laugh. "That was holy water?"

"Yeah." Sousuke cracked a smile.

There was a pause.

"I—I still don't understand how I could lose control." Rin said, shaking his head. "I thought I was doing a good job controlling myself."

"Like I said, it was your instincts. They're extremely sensitive when it comes to mates, trust me I know." Sousuke said. "You couldn't have controlled that."

"So," Rin started, wringing his fingers loosely, "what happens now?"

"Whatever happens, we'll do what we always do." Sousuke said, clasping a hand on his shoulder. "We'll deal with it."

\---------  
The first thing Makoto did when he entered the room, was launching himself at Haruka and hugging the life out of the boy.

"Makoto..." Haru whispered.

"Haru," Makoto cried, "thank god you're okay. I thought you—I thought you were..."

"I'm okay now," Haru said, smiling softly despite everything, as he reached up and wiped a few stray tears that had escaped from Makoto's eyes. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Does it still hurt? Are you in any pain?" Makoto fussed, pushing Haruka back down on the bed gently.

Haruka smiled again, this time amused at his best friend. He still answered Makoto anyway; he knew his friend was worrying. "No, it doesn't hurt anywhere." He pulled Makoto down to sit on the bed.

"Makoto..." He said, biting his bottom lip while looking at the boy in front of him.

"I know what happened." Makoto said, "and if you're upset about it, I— I just want you to know that I'm here for you to talk to."

Haruka shook his head. "I'm not upset. I've already came to terms with it. What about you? Are you—"

"—okay with all of this?" Makoto finished, and Haruka was grateful for their ability to understand what was going on each other's minds. "I don't know... It just seems so sudden, I guess."

"You seem pretty laid back about it."

"I had the whole night to go through everything." Makoto said.

"Are you mad at me?" Haruka asked quietly.

Makoto looked at him in such a gentle way that it made Haruka want to burst out crying. "Why should I be mad at you, Haru?"

~~Because I'm your best friend and I kept this from you. And you had to find out in such a way.~~

He felt arms gently wound themselves around his shoulders, pulling him to a broad chest. He could smell Makoto's scent now with his new vampire senses and it was really was like what Sousuke described—lemon and vanilla. It washed over him like a warm, soothing wave and he sighed, muscles loosing all tension.

"It wasn't your secret to tell, Haru." Makoto said softly. "I understand. It doesn't matter what happened. You're alive and after what we've all went through, I think that's all we can ask for." Makoto smiled. "You're still the same Haru I grown up with, nothing can change that."

"What about Sousuke?" Haru asked, "Are you mad at him?"

"No," Makoto shook his head, looking away. "he didn't have to tell me anything in the first place. It's a bit overwhelming and I just need a little time to take it all in, I guess."

"I understand." Haruka said. "Will you be okay?"

Makoto's eyes softened and he nodded. "Will you?"

"I'll be okay."

"That's all I need to hear." Makoto said, as he got up to leave.

"Makoto," Haruka called, stopping him from his tracks. "Don't be too hard on Sousuke. He's a good guy."

"I know." Makoto turned around and gave him a sad smile before he walked out.

\-------

"So..." Rin drawled, while setting up the table. "it's been like two weeks."

"He said he needed time." Sousuke answered calmly, picking up his chopsticks.

"Sousuke," Rin said and something in his tone made Sousuke look up. Rin looked guilty. "I feel like this is my fault. I'm sorry. I drove Makoto away from you."

"Rin," Sousuke placed his chopsticks down, turning around so he was facing Rin squarely. "don't be stupid. It was nobody's fault. Just bad timing."

"I know Makoto. He'll come around." Haru said, coming out of the kitchen and wiping his hands on his blue apron. "Eat up."

They did in silence. Nobody really felt like talking.

Sousuke left after dinner, huddling into his jacket as he walked down the street, unaware of Rin and Haruka's worried gazes behind him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos please! c:  
> No seriously guys, your comments make my day. ๏_๏


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haruka learns how to feed. And Sousuke encounters an old friend from his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took so long! And I'm sorry this is quite short. But I hope you guys enjoyed this!

The night was warm but Sousuke was thankful the moon wasn't out tonight. He crept along the wall of the building. In front of him, another dark figure had his back pressed against the wall.

The person in front of him turned back and with a nod on his head, Sousuke pulled out a knife from his belt and moved forward.

Vampire nests were usually dark and isolated, but the abandoned hotel emitted a sort of intimidating aura that made the hairs on Sousuke's arm stand up. It felt different this time. Maybe it was because he wasn't used to attacking full vampire hideouts. The both of them would usually hunt small groups—something they could handle. It wasn't their style. It was too reckless. But his father had been getting antsy after a week without encountering a single vampire. Sousuke had protested against the idea of going straight into the hive of the beasts, but his father didn't want to listen.

The floor of the building in which they had just stepped in was dusty and covered in mold. Newspapers were scattered in piles. Broken toy parts, evidence of children living here long ago, littered everywhere, gathering dust. Unidentifiable stains were splattered on the walls, dark and evil looking. It looked like blood.

A strange acrid smell made it's way to him and Sousuke crinkled his nose. As he walked further, the smell only got worse. He stumbled when he tripped and almost fell on something in the dark, and his father pointed the flashlight down to the floor. Sousuke jerked back in surprise, almost dropping his knife. Dull, lifeless eyes stared back at him.

He had tripped over a body. A very dead one.

The boy looked younger than Sousuke was, but his deathly white skin was pull taut over his face, caving in on his hollowed-out cheekbones and eyes. He looked like every single drop of blood was drained out from his body. The side of his face had already rotted away, revealing pieces of decaying flesh hanging on bone. Sousuke stepped back. It wasn't the first time he'd seen dead body, but _the boy was so young.._.

"Keep an eye out." His father murmured, turning away. Sousuke followed after him, trying to shake the shock off. As disturbing as it was, at least they now knew where the stench was coming from. Glass crunched under his feet. Banks of rotting counters stretched away into shadows. Most of the staircases leading upstairs were gone, withered away under the pressure of sun and rain. And those that remained looked rain-bloated, swollen and ready to break anytime.

"Dad." Sousuke whispered, his eyes scanning the broken and crumbling landing above them. Cracks billowed across the ceiling. He felt the hairs at the back of his neck prickle. "Something feels wrong."

"Where are they?" His father murmured, eyes scanning in the dark.

There was a certain change in the air around them and Sousuke stilled, his knife poised in his hand. Every nerve in his body was screaming at him that something was very wrong in this place. Something made him look up and when he did, he felt his heart stopped beating. He stared. All around the upstairs gallery stood rows of silent figures. They were utterly motionless, just staring down at the both of them. It made Sousuke wonder how long they had been standing there, observing. It was dark in the building but with their pale faces and their red stretched mouths revealing gleaming fangs, it was unmistakable.

Vampires.

One look around him and Sousuke's first thought was that they were done for. They were heavily outnumbered—there was not going to be a way out. What were they thinking going into a vampire nest? This place was infested with vamps. Now they're never going to step out of this place.

_Ever._

"Dad—" he tried to warn but he never got to finish his sentence before he saw a few figures leap from the top of the landing at him in inhumane speed, fangs bared. He ducked and slashed at one of the vampires. He heard a cry as his blade tore through skin.

"Sousuke, behind you!"

He spun around right in time and delivered a swinging punch to the advancing vampire, sending him flying back. They were only buying time for themselves. More and more vampires were advancing upon them, and there was no way they could kill all of them, no matter how skilled the both of them were.

He ducked again and avoided a female vampire, she missed and crashed towards the group behind him. Sousuke slashed his knife, while his other hand went to his belt and took out another blade. He flung it, and it went flying, sinking directly into the chest of a vampire who was about to pounce on his father, right in place where the heart would have been. His father shot him a grateful look before he went back to battling the never-ending wave of vampires advancing towards him.

Sousuke managed to fend off the vampires but he could feel his strength dissolving. This couldn't go on. At the corner of his eye, he saw that his dad was going through the same thing. Their energy was depleting but the number of vampires only seemed to increase. They cornered him against the wall—and Sousuke knew he was really doomed. As a last resort, he pulled out a bottle from his belt, uncorked it and threw the transparent liquid directly at them.

The vampires screamed, falling back, and Sousuke instantly got up and ran. He had to get his dad. He had to get them out of here.

Sousuke saw his father—his blade was gone and he was just engaged in hand-to-hand combat now. The vampires advanced and they swarmed him like a group of ants over a defenseless grasshopper. Very soon, Sousuke couldn't even see his father anymore as he was consumed but the wave of monsters.

"Dad!" He cried out and ran forward to help him when a weight crashed into him from the back. He went stumbling painfully down to the ground and tried to get up but another vampire had clung on to his leg, preventing him from moving. He felt himself get pinned down as a few more vampires pounced on him, claws breaking into flesh.

"Vampire hunters."

The whole room seemed to still. Sousuke struggled to push the vampires off him but they only pinned him down further to the ground, snarling at him.

He saw a pair of boots coming towards him. Craning his neck, Sousuke strained to look up. A man stood over him, peering at him like he was the most interesting specimen he had ever seen. Sousuke glanced around and he knew, by the looks on the vampires' faces, that this man was their leader. Any hope of escaping was long gone and he literally felt his body slumped in defeat. There was no way they would let them go. They had invaded on the vampires' territory, not to mention that they were vampire hunters. He could feel the pent-up resentment and the thrill of having caught the two of them in all of their eyes as they stared, waiting

The vampires dragged him over to a wall where they chained both his wrists up. They did the same to his father. Sousuke yanked hard, but it was no use. The chains were sturdy and made of metal. He had half-wished that they were rusted and fragile, but upon yanking at them with all his strength, he realized that there was no such luck.

"The Yamazakis..."The leader murmured, "I've heard about the two of you. Very skilled vampire hunters. You killed a lot of our kind. But did you really think you would win, when you've entered a vampire's domain itself? That's actually a really stupid move. I thought the both of you were smarter than that." He laughed. "But don't get me wrong, I'm actually really honored the both of you stepped in here. It means I get to brag that my clan was the one who killed the Yamazaki Hunters. What a privilege!"

Sousuke wanted to shut him up.

"This looks like a strong one. Perhaps you shouldn't kill him, he'll make a good subjugate for you, Kiba." One of the vampires walked over to Sousuke and yanked at his chains. He snickered in delight, his grin revealing two gleaming fangs. Their leader Kiba, hummed as he looked deep in thought. Sousuke struggled against his restraints, gritting his teeth at their words. There was no way he would be a slave for a vampire. _No way in hell._ He'd rather choose death any day than become one of them.

"Seems like a good idea," Kiba gave another loud laugh and all the other vampires followed, their beady eyes staring at the father-and-son duo hungrily. "How ironic would it be for a vampire hunter," Kiba turned towards his audience, hands outstretched as if to prove a point. "to become...a _vampire_? Become the thing they despise the most with their entire being?" The vampires howled and shrieked in reply, leaning forward eagerly, soaking up their leader's words.

Sousuke's heart pounded hard against his chest and he was sure the entire room of vampires could hear it loud and clear. This wasn't how he had imagined he'd become. He knew— _of course he knew_ —that there was always the risk he would be killed or worse, turned. But he had never actually expected it to happen _now_. They were so _stupid_. They had taken everything for granted. They were careless and let their guard down and now they were doomed.

"Get your _filthy_ hands off of me." Sousuke spat in defiance when Kiba grabbed his chin and forced his head upwards.

"Funny how you're still so stubborn even when I have your life in my hands." Kiba smirked. "Oh don't worry, it's nothing personal. This is just for our brothers and sisters whom you have killed." He leaned forward, fangs poised just over the flesh of his neck. Sousuke almost shivered in disgust but he kept his head high, looking straight ahead, eyes shielded off from any emotion. If he was going to go down, he would go down a fighter.

"Sousuke—" He heard his father call out before pain exploded at the side of his neck and down his spine. He gritted his teeth, though he refused to make a sound. He refused to give them the satisfaction of hearing him in pain. The pain was too much though, and his knees gave way as he crumbled to the ground. He could hear the delighted shrieks ringing all around him.

Kiba pulled away, blood dripping down his chin. He smirked at Sousuke on the ground, with his hands still held tight by the chains. "Not such a tough guy anymore, are you?" He sneered as a hard boot kicked at Sousuke's ribs, knocking him to the ground. He laid there, gasping as fire ran through his entire body.

"What about the other one? What should we do with him?" He vaguely heard someone speak over all the ringing in his ears.

"This one looks like a good meal for the fledglings." The leader smiled coldly, eyeing Sousuke's father who glared menacingly back at him. "Saves us the effort of going out tonight." Sousuke heard his father grunt in pain as he was pulled to his feet, the chains around his wrists clinking against each other.

Sousuke's vision was blurring and he was fighting with all his strength to stay awake. He could feel his blood trailing down his neck and pooling on the ground. The vampires were growling in hunger. He pulled against the chains weakly. "Dad—"

"Sousuke." His father's face was grim as though he knew, also, that there was no way out of this. "Sousuke—" his voice cracked in pain and regret. Sousuke wanted to cry. "I'm sorry..."

Sousuke wanted to tell him that it was okay. That it wasn't his fault. That he forgave him. But he never got the chance. His vision was blackening and he felt his remaining strength wash away as he collapsed on the floor.

The last thing he saw before the pain overtook him, was the image of a group of vampires pouncing on his father's body hungrily, fangs and claws digging deep into vulnerable flesh, ripping it apart.  
\-------

"What?" Rin crossed his arms and stared at Haruka in disbelief, almost like he couldn't believe the words that had just left Haruka's mouth.

Haruka huffed, and crossed his arms too, mimicking Rin. "I said, I want to learn how to feed."

"You already know how to feed," Rin turned away, busying himself with some papers on the table.

"You know what I'm talking about." Haruka spoke up quietly.

Rin's hands stilled, though he still didn't turn around.

"Rin, I want to learn how to feed. _Really_ feed."

"Haru," Rin turned around. He looked exasperated and frustrated. "I don't understand why you want to do this. You could just take blood from a bottle."

"Because this is important." Haruka insisted. "If I learn how to do this, I might be able to control myself better. And anyway, what if we're stuck in some emergency and there's no bottled blood for us to feed from?"

Rin sighed—he could already feel himself caving to his mate's request. Only Haruka would think of something like this and make it sound reasonable. In a last attempt, Rin tried again, "But isn't this going to make you uncomfortable?"

Haruka casted his eyes downwards. He knew Rin had a point but he wasn't going to back down just yet. He had been thinking about this for quite some time already. "It is. But I believe that it's necessary."

Rin was quiet and Haruka knew him well enough to see how torn he felt at that moment. Haruka walked closer to him and grabbed his hands, holding them with his. "Are you still feeling guilty because you turned me? Rin," he said, "I told you you don't have to feel bad anymore."

"I'll always feel bad that I lost control and turned you," Rin admitted. "no matter how many times you tell me you're okay. I'll always feel bad because I've hurt you."

"Rin..." Haruka whispered, his gaze softening.

"You're so precious to me, Haru." Rin breathed out shakily and he leaned forward, bringing Haruka into his arms. "I would die if anything happened to you."

"Don't stay stuff like that." Haruka whispered, "I don't want anything happening to you."

Rin only tightened his hold in response. He meant every word he said. Rin had experienced almost losing Haruka once; he didn't want to go through it again. Ever. Haruka was his world now. Haruka was all that mattered.. And if anything were to happen to him...

"Rin..." Haruka was still whispering. "Please."

"Alright, okay," Rin sighed, wanting to get rid of the sudden tension in the room. He watched as Haruka's beautiful blue eyes lit up and almost cracked a smile at Haruka's enthusiasm. "I'll teach you how to feed."

\-----------  
It was nighttime. There was a full moon today and as Rin stepped out in the streets, he felt his energy sparked and the muscles of his body rippled with renewed strength. He felt stronger, more powerful. He knew Haruka could feel it too by the more alert look in the boy's eyes.

He had chosen a good night to feed.

Rin held Haruka's hand as they walked down the street, mostly with Rin leading the way.

"Where are we going?" Haruka asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"What do people mostly like to do at night on a weekend?" Rin countered back his question with another question of his own.

Haruka frowned for a second, trying to figure out what exactly was Rin's point. "Go to clubs and get wasted?"

Rin felt himself grinned. "Exactly."

\-----------

Sousuke sighed for the umpteenth time that day. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Not to mention, he was more restless these days. There was nothing much to do other than going to work and staying cooped up at home during the weekends. His apartment felt dull and boring, almost as if it sucked out the remaining energy in Sousuke's body. Sousuke didn't even feel like feeding. But that was a dangerous thought, so he did it just for the sake of it—gulping down bottles of blood without allowing himself even just for a second to enjoy the taste of it.

Makoto still hasn't called.

Sousuke debated on calling him. He couldn't stay like this forever and he was dying to hear from his mate whom he hadn't seen in three weeks. He knew Haruka had kept in touch with Makoto, but he was still worried. Makoto said he needed time, and Sousuke had given him time. Three weeks to be exact. Was three weeks enough after realizing that your boyfriend was a vampire, witnessing a feral vampire attack and going through the shock of thinking that your best friend is dead?

Sousuke gave a frustrated groan as he stared down at the phone in his hands. He felt like he was back at square one when he was still looking for his mate. Mustering up some courage, he scrolled through his contacts and clicked on Makoto's name on the screen. He waited, listening to the other side of the line ring.

"Hello, this is Makoto—"

Sousuke perked up, almost jumping up from the couch. "Makoto, it's—"

"Unfortunately I'm not available at the moment, so please leave a message and I'll get back to you."

Sousuke sighed and pulled the phone away, ending the call. He slumped back on the couch dejectedly. As much as he loved hearing Makoto's voice again, he didn't want to talk to Makoto through a voicemail message.

"Makoto..." he groaned, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes. " _Please_."

\-------  
"Are you sure about this?" Haruka asked doubtfully as he eyed the large group of people going into the club. "When you said you were going to teach me how to feed, I didn't expect you to bring me here."

"Don't tell me you're backing out now?' Rin said, as he leaned back against a lamppost, though his voice sounded hopeful.

Haru frowned. "Of course I'm not." He huffed and began walking off by himself towards the direction of the club, catching Rin off-guard. Rin scrambled up hurriedly to follow him. "Don't get your hopes up." Haruka muttered as they neared the entrance.

The both of them flashed their IDs at the bouncers in the entrance. Not long after, they were in the club. It was dark and crowded in there and the beat of the music made their bones rattle. There were people on the dance floor, people by the bar and some were even gathered near the back of the room. Rin grabbed Haruka's wrist gently but firmly—his protective instincts flaring up—there was no way was he going to let anything happen to his mate here. "Stay close to me."

Haruka rolled his eyes and Rin saw him say something which he couldn't hear over the booming. music. He was sure it was something along the lines of,"I can take care of myself just fine." Nevertheless, Haruka stuck by his side as they jostled among the sweaty bodies pressed against each other and drunk people tripping over their own feet.

"Well aren't you a pretty thing." Someone sidled up to Haruka's side, slurring out drunk compliments. His breath stank of alcohol and Haruka crinkled his nose, backing away. In front of him, Rin must have been too busy to noticed, or the man wouldn't have even been standing on his two feet by now, Haruka was sure. Nobody looks at him like that and gets away with it, not on Rin's watch.

"Back off." Haruka said in a measured tone, making sure his warning was loud enough to get his message across. He felt disgusted even though he could smell the scent of fresh blood under the stench of alcohol and sweat.

"Feisty one, aren't we?" The man leered and Haruka's disgust doubled. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of—" The guy reached a hand to touch his cheek and Haruka's eyes narrowed dangerously. Before the man could even lay a finger on him, Haruka had roughly snatched his wrist. There's a sickening crack, and a second later the guy was crying out as Haruka twisted his arm behind his back.

" _I_ _said_ , back the fuck off, before I break more than just your arm." Haruka growled, his eyes flashing dark for a second before he shoved the man away. Rin was staring at him now, his eyes were wide and his mouth was gaping wide open like a fish. Haruka turned around and gave him a sweet smile, so different from the menacing glare he had on a few seconds ago.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side." Rin said, feeling a little proud as he pulled Haruka closer to his side and curled one protective arm around his shoulder.

"I told you I can take care of myself." Haruka replied. And Rin didn't doubt that. Ever since he became a vampire, Haruka had made full use of his new powers. It certainly shortened the time it took to cook up dinner every night. Rin wondered how Haruka could have practiced on his new super strength to have fought the guy off so easily.

"How did you do that?" He asked, genuinely curious.

Haruka flushed and smiled a little as though he was remembering something funny. "I tried watching a lot of Kung-fu movies." Upon Rin's incredulous expression, he said, "Hey, don't look at me like that, I just thought it'd be cool now that I have super strength."

Rin laughed. "God, you're adorable."

Rin led them to the back of the club, just around the bar. "Okay, all we have to do is choose an easy one." Rin leaned back against the counter, his red eyes scanning around the crowd. They lit up when he spotted someone making their way through the back doors. The boy was young, probably in his teens and a girl was latched beside him, giggling in her drunk stupor. She was wearing a tiny black dress, her hair was messed up and her lipstick was smeared. She was pressing kisses down the side of the boy's neck.

Rin smirked. This was going be an easy one.

"Come on." He said to Haruka and they both followed the couple out through the back door.

Outside, the teenage couple was pressed up against the alley wall, heavily making out. Haruka cringed when he noticed the dirty alley they were standing in. The walls were heavily caked with grime and graffiti and the air was putrid with the stench of rotting garbage. Surely they could have picked a better place to suck each other's faces off. Although he was sure they were both too drunk out of their minds to really care.

"Okay, now's your chance." Rin whispered, eyes never leaving the two humans in front of him. "Pick one."

Though it was Haruka who insisted that Rin brought him out here in the first place, he was now beginning to regret it. He didn't want to admit he was getting cold feet, but he could feel it creeping up on him as he watched the two people in front of him, both still oblivious of their presence.

"We could always go back if you want." Rin said softly when he noticed Haruka's hesitation. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"No," Haruka shook his head. He was grateful that Rin wasn't making fun of him, but he wasn't going to give up so easily. Not when they had barely even started. "I want to do this."

"Okay." Rin said, again with the soft tone. He turned back to the two.

"I'll pick the boy." Haruka said and Rin saw him visibly swallowed.

"Okay. Don't worry about the girl, I'll take care of her." Rin said.

"What do I have to do?" Haruka asked. He felt like he was back in his school days and was about to step into a classroom for an exam. Though this felt ten times worse.

"Remember how I told you we can hypnotize humans?" Rin asked under his breath, and Haruka nodded. He did remember. And his eyes widened as he realized what Rin was about to say. "Well, you're going to have to do that today." Beside him, Rin felt his mate stiffened.

"Wha–" Haruka stammered. "But Rin, I've never tried it before, I don't even know how it works. I don't know how to do that."

"Hey, don't worry, it's pretty easy." Rin reassured. "All you have to do is look into his eyes and focus. It's natural. And with the moon out tonight, it will be easier."

Haruka nodded, though he still looked doubtful. "Okay. Focus. Got it."

He narrowed his vision so the boy was the only thing he could see. He was still making out with the girl, their hands exploring each other's bodies. Haruka tried not to let that disrupt his focus. He felt the world rush past him as he used his super speed to propel himself forward, hands outstretched.

"What the fu—"

He heard the startled cry of the boy and the girl screaming, but nothing else mattered. He felt his claws dig into the boy's shirt as Haruka pushed him away from the girl and pressed him against the end of the dirty alley wall.

" _Look at me_." Haruka ordered, and he felt the boy quivering under the force behind his voice. A part of him felt bad that he was putting the boy through such a thing. If he was a human again, he wouldn't have wanted any vampire doing this to him. If only the boy knew that Haruka was just as scared as he was. But all his doubts and thoughts vanished when hesitant eyes gazed into Haruka's.

Focus.

"You _will_ listen to me." Haruka said, and he saw something changed within the boy's eyes. They were fixed on Haruka's, unblinking and glazed over, all the previous fear dissipating, as though the world around him had disappeared and nothing else mattered. "Don't move and don't make a sound." The boy's struggling stilled obediently as his body went lax in Haruka's grip.

When he was sure the boy wasn't going to start screaming and attacking him, Haruka leaned in towards his neck, his fangs slipping out of his gums. He could almost hear the thrumming of the boy's pulse. He took a deep shuddering breath, feeling his eyes zeroing in on their target, before he sunk his fangs into flesh. The boy didn't even budge.

The sweet taste of blood exploded in his mouth, but it was different. He could finally understand why Rin had told him that vampires preferred to feed from the source itself. Fresh blood from the body of a human was so much more warm and _satisfying_.

He allowed himself a mouthful of blood before he pulled away. Blood wasn't what he came for tonight. And it wasn't as though he was particularly hungry—he had fed a few days ago. The boy was still looking straight forward, unaware of the wound on his neck that was bleeding. Thankfully, Haruka's fangs had not punctured deep, so the blood coming out wasn't heavy.

"You will bring the girl home after this and you will forget about everything's that happened." Haruka said, gazing deep into the boy's eyes. "When you wake up tomorrow, you will only remember getting drunk and making out in the alleyway. The girl had bitten you too hard and that's why you have the wound on your neck."

The boy nodded slowly, eyes never leaving Haruka's blue eyes.

Haruka stepped back, satisfied. He turned around and saw that Rin was just standing there, looking at him. He turned to his right—the girl was propped against the wall where Haruka had last saw her. She was unconscious.

"Oh my god," Haruka gasped, looking at Rin bewildered. "You killed her?"

"What—" Rin choked, coughing for a while before he regained his composure. "Of course not. I just made her fall asleep."

"Oh." Haruka sighed in relief, suddenly feeling very stupid. He flushed. "Did you feed from her?"

"No, it would be hard to make an excuse for that. And anyway," Rin waved a hand. "I'm not hungry."

"Oh, okay."

Rin extended a hand out to him and when Haruka took it, Rin pulled him into his own arms. Haruka made a sound of surprise as his face was buried into the soft fabric of Rin's sweater. He breathed in the comforting scent of Rin in which he had fallen in love with ever since he became a vampire, and felt his muscles relax.

"You did a good job, sweetheart."

Haruka smiled weakly. The adrenaline was starting to wear off and the guilt was settling in. He couldn't believe he did that. He couldn't believe he just took advantage and manipulated a helpless human.

"It's okay." Rin said, when he noticed Haruka tensing up. "Hey–it's okay, sweetheart. You didn't kill him. He's okay."

Haruka breathed out shakily and nodded. "Yeah, yeah I know."

There was some shuffling behind them. Haruka pulled away from Rin to look. The boy whom he had fed on was now walking over to the girl. He picked her up bridal style with astounding strength and walked out of the alleyway, passing Rin and Haruka as though they weren't even there.

"You did so good." Rin said, rubbing Haruka's hand up and down in a soothing motion. "I didn't even have to tell you what to do."

They stood there for a while, mostly Rin was just waiting for Haruka to calm himself down. He knew just how distressing the first time feeding from an actual human was. He remembered how awful he felt when he fed from someone the first time. His chest ached at the thought of his pure, innocent, sweetheart having to go through something like this.

Rin pulled away after some time, his concerned yet reassuring eyes scanning over Haruka's face. "You okay, sweetheart?"

Haruka nodded and gave him a small smile. "Yeah. Let's go home."

\--------

_Bzz._

_Bzz._

Sousuke cracked an eye open—he realized he had fallen asleep on the couch. Sitting up, he brushed his hair back, rubbing the back of his neck lazily and grabbed his phone which was ringing on the table. His eyes widened when he saw the name on the screen and instantly, all his tiredness dissipated. He hurriedly clicked the answer button.

_Makoto._

"Makoto?" He said eagerly, glad that his mate was calling him back. "I'm—"

"Well, well," the voice on the other side of the line made Sousuke freeze, his blood turning cold in his veins. It was definitely _not_ Makoto. "I didn't expect you to pick up so fast. Right after the second ring, Yamazaki."

His whole world was spinning. Images of a warm night so long ago, flashed through his eyes.

_Pain. Lots of pain. Blood everywhere. A young boy's unblinking blue eyes. Crumbling stairways. Hundreds of hungry eyes staring at him. The smell of rotting corpses. Cold chains rubbing against his wrists. Maniacal laughter in the air. His father's dead and torn body._

" _Kiba_." Sousuke breathed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay badass Haruka! And I added in the beginning a bit of Sousuke's past. Did you know that Kiba in Japanese means 'fang'? ;)
> 
> Omg what do you think would happen to makoto? I am actually torn if I should kill off a character in the end?? But I'm not sure, comment below what you think should happen :) 
> 
> Comments and kudos if you liked it! I love reading your comments honestly ^^


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sousuke plans to get his mate back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, I'm so sorry I haven't been posting lately. I'm moving to the UK in a few days time and I was busy packing for everything for this whole month.  
> I hope you guys are still reading, and I hope you guys like the new chapter!

  
The fear was stronger than the pain.

His mind was blurry and woozy when he woke up in this unfamiliar place. He tried to move, but something held him back. Cold metal clinked and rubbed sorely against his bare arms and neck.

Makoto gave a small groan as a dull ache spread through his skull. What did they do to him? All he could remember was going out of his house, down the street and then blackness engulfing him.

He had been kidnapped.

"The boy's awake."

Arms yanked him upwards to his feet where he stumbled, almost loosing his footing. He blinked and squinted against the sudden white light that seemed to filled up the room. When his eyes had finally adjusted, he saw a circle of people all around him. His instincts immediately told him that he was in dangerous territory. A prey in the land of predators. He was right. They were smiling at him, smiling as though he was the last good meal on the table, and each of them—every single one of them— had two pin-prick fangs poking out from their upper gums.

_Fangs..._

The only time he had ever seen fangs like those were...

Makoto's eyes widened.

Vampires. They were vampires.

Makoto wanted to scream but his mouth wouldn't open. His tongue felt sluggish and slow and he was sure it was the effects of the drugs they had given him.

A man towered above his slumped form. He seemed almost the same height as Makoto, if not taller. He grinned, baring two menacing white fangs. Makoto flinched back.

"Makoto Tachibana." The man ran a claw lightly against Makoto's cheek, and Makoto shuddered. "Finally. I was beginning to think you'd never wake up."

"H-how you'd know my name?" He asked groggily.

The man laughed and he looked amused. "We've been watching you for some time now."

"Wha—"

"You can't even begin to imagine how thrilled I was when I found out that you are Yamazaki's mate." Kiba said. "You see, Sousuke's been in hiding for a very long time. And I intend to lure him out. With you."

Makoto's eyes widened. "You mean I'm your—"

"Bait? Yes," Kiba smiled. "that's right."

"You're wasting your time," Makoto said, "Sousuke won't come and get me."

"Oh, I bet he will." The vampire leaned in and grinned. There was dried blood on his fangs. "I bet he'll come right over the moment he realizes where you are."

He pulled away, seemingly satisfied when Makoto cowered back. "Isn't it saddening? The idea of mates?" The vampire whispered, and Makoto wasn't sure if it was merely his imagination or if he indeed, saw a flicker of sadness in the vampire's eyes. "He would do anything for you, you know. And that's exactly what I need to get him out here."

Makoto's heart sank a little at the vampire's words. He knew they were true. Sousuke would burn down this entire Earth just to get him back.

Makoto gritted his teeth. He couldn't bear the thought of Sousuke injured. He couldn't bear the thought that it was him leading Sousuke here.

"What are you going to do to him?" Makoto asked. He wasn't sure if he was ready for the answer. The man in front of him laughed, but it was devoid of any humor. The sound made the hairs at the back of Makoto's neck stand. He fought the urge to shiver in fear and repulsion.

"We're just going to have a little fun. It's been a while since I last saw him." The man smiled, pulling out Makoto's phone from his pocket. Makoto's heart accelerated.

"Hey—give that back!"

"Let's give Yamazaki a little call, shall we?" The vampire grinned, walking out of the room, leaving Makoto's distressed calls and the shrieks of a hundred delighted vampires behind him. Their leader walked away, ambling out of the room as though he already had the world in his hands.

"It's not going to work, you know." Makoto called, watching as the man paused at the entryway with his back still turned towards Makoto. "Sousuke's not going to be that reckless."

The vampire glanced briefly behind his shoulder.

"We're all reckless when it comes to the ones we love."

\---------

"I'm glad you still remember me, Yamazaki. Though I have to say I was pretty disappointed to hear that you've returned but never paid me a visit."

"Where's Makoto?" Sousuke growled down the phone. He was growing increasingly agitated and angry by the second, and his nails were starting to turn into claws. They dig against his phone, threatening to break the flimsy metal device in any minute.

But Kiba merely laughed in response, unfazed by Sousuke's tone. "Oh, the human boy? I was feeling a bit lonely and wanted some company. You can imagine my delight when I found out that he was your mate."

"I swear to God Kiba—"

"Funny thing I've noticed though. He's your mate but...he's not a vampire." Sousuke could almost hear Kiba grinning through the phone. He felt his blood run cold at Kiba's next words. "Maybe I can do you a little favor and turn him into one of us, just like how I did to you. Saves you the trouble of doing it yourself, don't you think?"

Sousuke's eyes darkened dangerously. When he spoke, his voice was low and gravelly and threatening. "If you even think of touching a single hair on Makoto's head, I will hunt you down and I will fucking rip you to shreds."

"I've got a better idea." Kiba said coolly. "I propose a trade. Your life in exchange for Makoto's."

Sousuke gritted his teeth. "I don't trust you."

"I have nothing against the boy, he's merely bait." Kiba said and as much as Sousuke wanted to believe he was lying, Kiba sounded genuine in his words. "And we both know it."

"How do I know you're not lying to me? He could be dead already for all I know." Sousuke growled.

"Alright, if you really don't believe me..." There was some shuffling and then a familiar voice burst through the other side of the line, almost sobbing. "Sousuke!"

"Makoto!" Sousuke almost went weak with relief but at the same time, he felt as though his heart started beating again. "Makoto, are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"Sousuke—" Makoto cried, "Sousuke please, I'm scared..."

Sousuke's heart just about broke into a million pieces. He wanted to see Makoto. He wanted Makoto in his arms right now. "Makoto, it's going to be okay. I'm going to come and get you, you hear me? I promise I'm going to get you back."

"Sousuke, don't—" There was some more shuffling and Makoto's voice went muffled.

"Makoto? Makoto!"

"Well, now that you know the boy is alright," Kiba purred, his voice replacing Makoto's, like honey over needles. "How about that trade?"

Sousuke clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut. If anything happened to his angel...

When he re-opened his eyes, his decision was already made.

"Where do I meet you?"

\--------

"He's a pretty one, isn't he?" A vampire hissed, stroking Makoto's cheek with a pale hand. Makoto shuddered and jerked away.

"Leave me alone." Makoto whimpered, when more vampires started crowding around him with their hungry gazes.

"Hmm. He's doesn't look like any fun." A girl with hair colored in purple and pink streaks spoke up, pouting.

They eventually left him alone, but they still lingered around, mostly surrounding the pool table that Makoto, until this point, only noticed was at the end of a room. The thing looked battered and badly worn out, but the vampires seemed to take enjoyment from it.

From the corner of his eye, he saw his phone among the dust on the floor on his left, discarded by Kiba moments ago after he called Sousuke. The screen was flashing with light, the patch of light small and fragile against the darkness. Makoto's heart sped up—someone was calling.

It was just around arm's length. He pushed his arm out slowly, keeping an eye on the vampires. They were currently distracted, having their backs to him. He was so close. His fingers brushed against the edge of the green device and he just barely managed to click on the answer button. That was the furthest he could reach from where he was sitting. If he stretched hard enough...

He saw white flash behind his eyelids for a second as hot pain burst through his wrist, spreading up his arm. He screamed. Somebody was laughing. A boot was crushing down on his wrist. The vampire smiled at him, eyes gleaming. He grounded the heel of his boot further down and Makoto cried out when he heard the sound of bones cracking. Tears were clouding in his eyes and spilling down his face.

Another vampire was holding up the phone, waving it mockingly at Makoto. He grinned and then before Makoto's eyes, he crushed the phone in his fingers as though it was merely paper. He let the broken pieces of plastic and metal slide past his fingers, and Makoto almost wailed in despair.

"Sneaky little thing, aren't you? Kiba would have had our necks if you managed to get away." The vampire growled.

"Well, Kiba said we can't kill him, but it won't hurt to rough him up a little." The man who broke Makoto's wrist said, grinning at the other vampire. Before Makoto could even begin to protest, pain had already exploded down the side of his face and jaw. His head whipped to the side, and the entire side of his face was screaming in agony. He gasped when a hand yanked at his hair, forcing him to look upwards.

"You're just a _pathetic_. _little_. _human_." The vampire spat, each word was punctuated with a hard jab to Makoto's chest. The second vampire cocked his fist back and let it fly forward. Instead of the cheek again, he had gone for the nose. There was a sickening crack—the sound of bone against bone—followed by Makoto's cry of pain. His teeth cut into his tongue, filling his mouth with the taste of blood. Blood trickled down his nose, down his chin, where it dripped and pooled into a puddle on the floor.

They let him go, and he crumpled against the floor in a heap, panting. It was like a barrage of feet and fists were raining down on him. A kick to his back made him roll over, it knocked the breath out of him, leaving him coughing and panting. His ears were ringing. Blows and kicks seemed to be coming in all directions above him and he curled in on himself, arms raised to protect his head. "Stop—"

"You're lucky I've fed." The vampire sneered. "Or I'd be feeding on you next."

A harsh blow to his ribs made Makoto cry out. He opened his eyes, long enough to see a shoe headed towards his face. He tried to block his face but the his speed was no match for the vampire's and he briefly felt the impact smash against his head before everything turned dark.

\--------

"Don't you think it's weird?" Rin said, turning to face Haruka after he had hung up the phone.

"What is?"

"Well Sousuke just called, he sounded all funny." Rin frowned and Haruka raised an eyebrow in question. "Said he had some things to do so he couldn't come over for dinner tonight."

"How is that unusual?" Haruka asked, propping himself up on the couch. "He could be busy."

"Busy doing what?" Rin snorted. "Hanging out with friends?"

Haruka hummed. "Maybe."

It was Rin's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Sousuke doesn't have friends."

"Rin." Haruka gave him a side glance, unimpressed.

"I'm serious!" Rin threw his hands up incredulously. "We're the only friends he has."

"Well, I'm sure that's untrue." Haruka pursed his lips at his mate. "You're just being mean. Did you ask him how he's spending his evening?"

"I did. He just avoided my question completely before he hung up on me." Rin said, and then hips eyes lit up. "'Maybe he's going out with Makoto! That would explain why he doesn't want to tell us anything."

"I highly doubt that." Haruka replied. "If that was true, Makoto would have been bombing up my phone with text messages on what he should wear and which cologne he should use. And right now," Haruka checked his phone. "I have none."

Rin felt the corners of his lips cast downwards again. Haruka was right. Makoto would have informed Haruka on something—anything really—if it had to do with Sousuke.

"Maybe I should try calling Makoto." Haruka frowned. He dialed Makoto's number which he knew by heart and let the line ring. The call went straight to voicemail. Haruka's frown deepened. Makoto wasn't one to not answer his calls. He tried again.

The line kept ringing. Just when Haruka was sure it would go to another voicemail, the call went through.

"Makoto?"

There was a bunch of rustling and shuffling from the other end and it sounded as though there were a lot of people talking.

"Makoto, are you there?" Haruka tried again. He couldn't hear anyone answer him over the ruckus from the other line. Was Makoto in a crowded place? Or maybe the signal was weak.

Rin nudged him questioningly. And Haruka turned the phone to loud speaker. Rin winced at the loud noises on the other side of the phone call. They couldn't make out anything coherent.

And then they heard it.

 _Makoto's scream_.

\-----------  
His hand hovered over the doorknob. Sousuke sighed, looking around his house for what seemed like possibly the last time. Even though he had only lived in this place for a few months, he was going to miss this little space that he had grown accustomed to.

He stepped out of the front door, closing it behind him without a second glance. His feet moved on their own, but his mind felt numb. He wanted to worry. He knew, deep down, that this was a one way road. He wouldn't be coming back anymore. He would never walk past the coffee shop in which he liked to visit so much anymore,

And then he thought of Makoto, Makoto with his green eyes, bold and big and framed with thick lashes. Makoto with his soft brown hair. _God_ , his brown hair. Sousuke could still picture the earthy tone if he closed his eyes. They were the color of fallen leaves in autumn. Makoto wore the colors of nature in his skin, in his hair, in his eyes... And when Makoto smiled, he never failed to send a rush of warmth surging straight through every fiber of Sousuke's being. The way his lips lifted upward, the way the dimple on his right cheek deepened, the way the corners of his eyes softened. His voice—it was Sousuke's favorite sound in the world. It was like his heart came back to life every time he heard it. Whenever Makoto talked, it was as though his heart was ringing, the sound running down his bones and burning up his veins with happiness.

_Makoto..._

Sousuke's probably never going to see him again.

He clenched his eyes shut, trying to think back to the phone call. Makoto had sounded like he was in such pain. Just thinking about it made a shot of rage spiked through him. He tightened his fists. All of his doubts vanished and it made Sousuke even more determined to get to him.

Sousuke ducked into an alleyway, his shoes scraping against wet concrete. As he approached the building looming ahead, he kept to the shadows, thankful that his entire gear was black. It had been a both a bittersweet experience to take out his weapons belt that he had kept hidden away for all these years.

The building had stayed the same on the outside all these years—crumbled down and isolated—and just the sight of it reminded Sousuke of his father.

"I'm sorry." Those were his last words. _Apologies_. And Sousuke couldn't even tell him that he had nothing he had nothing to be sorry for. That night was filled with unspoken words and regrets that haunted him even until now. He wondered what his father would have thought about him now that he was a vampire. Would he have hated him? Would he have blamed himself?

Sousuke shook those thoughts away. He didn't need them now. He needed Makoto. Safe and sound and unharmed.

Sousuke was going to get him back. He promised Makoto that he would bring him back. Even if it costed him his life.

He wasn't going to let another person he loved die in the hands of monsters once again.

\----------

"Was—was that Makoto?" Rin whispered, his face pale. Haruka's face looked equally drained of color as he stared at the phone in his shaking hands in horror. The call had ended abruptly just after they heard Makoto's scream. But it was enough to let them know that something wasn't right.

Haruka wanted to deny it but he couldn't. He knew Makoto since they were children. He knew how Makoto would sound like when he screams. And that voice just now...it was unmistakable.

"Makoto—" Haruka jerked to his feet abruptly from the couch. He looked frantic and lost at the same time. "Makoto's in danger. We have to find him."

"Woah woah, hold on," Rin placed a hand on Haruka's shoulder to stop him. "We can't be sure of what's happening yet. We don't even know where Makoto is."

Haruka's eyes flashed dangerously. "I _know_ that's Makoto. And I _know_ that something's happened. And I'm not going to to sit here and wait before it's too late."

Rin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly agitated.

"If you're not going to help, then I'll do it myself." Haruka gritted his teeth and stormed past the red-head.

"Haru, I never said I wasn't going to help." Rin said, "I was saying, maybe we should think about this. Maybe we've made a mistake."

"No," Haruka shook his head. "It couldn't have been a mistake."

Rin pulled out his phone and pressed it to his ear. "Sousuke's not answering."

Haruka made a noise of frustration, running his fingers through his raven hair.

After another unanswered ring, Rin ended the call. His jaw was set in a determined look as he glanced at his mate. "Alright fine, we go to Sousuke's house. Maybe he'll know something." Rin said and the both of them grabbed their coats, rushing out of the door.  
\--------

The interior of the building hasn't changed one bit. In truth, Sousuke didn't know what to expect. Maybe something different after all these years?

But as he stepped into the building once again, it felt like nothing has changed at all from when he was last here. The counters were still worn and shabby, the rusted metal furniture, the floorboards creaking under his feet. He knew they could hear him. He knew they were watching him, even from the start.

His feet halted.

Tucking his knife back into his weapons belt, he let his eyes adjust to the darkness around him. The darkness that now enveloped creatures and shadows which were beyond his sight.

"Kiba." He called, the sound bouncing and echoing off the walls. He could hear the delighted fading shrieks around him and he wasn't sure if it was reality or a fragment of his tortured past coming back to haunt him.

And then he heard footsteps.

They were loud and steady, reverberating around the room, clicking closer and closer to where Sousuke was standing. A part of Sousuke wanted to run away. He was a coward. He wasn't ready to face what he'd been so desperately trying to evade from all these years. And then a man appeared from the shadows and Sousuke had to fight the urge to take a step backwards.

'Be brave.' He thought to himself, _'Be brave for Makoto.'_

Six years ago, this man killed his father and turned him into a vampire. Six years later, Sousuke was staring into his eyes once again.

Like the building, Kiba remained unchanged all these years. Vampires don't age, and he still had his dark hair, as black as night, and the corners of his eyes still crinkled as though he was in some sort of amusement, and his mouth still curved up in a sinister-looking smile. It felt like Deja vu all over again.

"I didn't expect you to come alone." Kiba said, "You're always one for surprises, Yamazaki."

"Where is he?" Sousuke growled.

"Oh, the boy?" Kiba grinned. He seemed to get a kick at watching Sousuke grow mad. "He's unconscious at the moment. Seems like his body is too weak for our little games."

In a flash, Sousuke's had him pinned to the wall, claws dangerously close to ripping out his neck. "You said you wouldn't hurt him." He snarled.

"I said I wouldn't kill him." Kiba smirked, though he winced a little at the force of Sousuke's hand around his neck. "There's a difference, Yamazaki."

" _Where_. i _s_. he?" Sousuke enunciated each word with gritted teeth. He was pissed and he could feel his patience running thin with every second he didn't see Makoto's face.

Kiba smirked and pushed him off. Sousuke fell back but he steadied himself, staring at the enemy with wary eyes. He had forgotten how strong Kiba was.

 _'Of course he's strong.'_ A voice spoke up in his mind. _'He'll always be stronger than you. He's your creator.'_

Kiba tilted his head, indicating to his men. They disappeared into another room and came out minutes later, dragging an unconscious body behind them. Sousuke recognized him immediately and he didn't know whether to sigh in relief or start panicking.

"Makoto." He whispered and rushed forward. The men stepped back, dumping Makoto's body carelessly onto the dusty floor. Sousuke knelt down and gathered his mate into his arms gently, trying to shield him from the danger around them; trying not to inflict any more wounds on his frail body.

What he saw made his blood boiled with rage.

The side of Makoto's face was already starting to swell, turning into angry purple bruising. His lower lip was split. There was dried blood at the side of his head, staining his matted brown hair. His swollen wrist hung at an odd angle, and Sousuke was sure it was broken. Dark bruises and welts littered every part of his skin in which Sousuke could see. If it wasn't for Makoto's heartbeat right now, Sousuke would have thought he was dead...

He stroke the side of Makoto's face tenderly. He didn't care if Kiba and his vampires were watching him. He didn't care if he was going to die. Not after seeing Makoto like this. It didn't matter anymore. What mattered was getting Makoto out of here alive. Makoto who was always kind and smiling and laughing. Makoto who looked like a walking, living embodiment of something utterly ethereal. Makoto, his mate. He looked broken now. Because his innocence was tainted. Because he met Sousuke.

He looked fragile and vulnerable, but he was still _so_ beautiful.

Sousuke wanted to take the pain and the hurt all away with his fingertips. This was all his fault. His sweet, innocent angel who would never hurt a single being, who freaked out when he saw a spider but cried later on when Sousuke killed it for him, who selflessly placed everybody's needs before his in every day of his life, was now lying in Sousuke's arms, looking like he was on death's doorstep. Makoto would never had to suffer if he hadn't met Sousuke in the first place. This was all his fault.

Sousuke didn't even realized he was crying, until a few stray tears fell on Makoto's face. He wiped them away.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Kiba's bitter voice rang out. "Seeing your mate in pain."

Sousuke bared his fangs and snarled, looking up at him when Kiba approached closer. His arms circled around Makoto's limp body protectively, pulling him closer. "Stay away."

"I want you to feel the same way I felt." Kiba snarled. "I want you to feel all the pain in the world that you've caused me."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sousuke snarled back.

"Six years ago, you killed her." Kiba was shrieking now, his voice sounded reproachful and agonized—like a million nails screeching painfully against a board. "You killed my mate!"

"Kiba," Sousuke's voice was calm and controlled. " I did not kill your mate. She was killed by hunters on a search. You know that."

"A search for you!" Kiba bared his fangs, his eyes darkening. "She was looking for you!"

_"I didn't kill her!"_

A shift in his arms made him look down.

"Makoto?"

Makoto's eyes blinked open wearily, squinting against the bright light above him. His eyes widened in recognition when he saw Sousuke, and almost immediately, tears welled up in his eyes. "Sousuke!" He threw his arms around Sousuke's neck, sobbing.

"Shh...I'm here. I promised I'll come and get you, didn't I?" Sousuke soothed, holding him close. "I'm here now, it's okay. I'm so sorry, Makoto. I'm so sorry."

"Sousuke..." Makoto whispered, eyes closed and head buried in the crook of Sousuke's neck. He was holding on to the back of Sousuke's shirt as though it was his only lifeline, his whole body trembling like a leaf. "Sousuke, I'm scared."

"I know, I know." Sousuke whispered. "I'm going to get you out of here, okay? Can you stand?"

"I—I think so."

He helped Makoto up, putting one arm around his shoulders. Makoto practically cowered behind Sousuke when he saw Kiba in front of them and Sousuke wanted to kill the vampire for making his mate feel that way.

"Well I'm here now. That's what you wanted, isn't it?" Sousuke said, clenching his jaw. "A life for a life."

"Sousuke," Panic seeped into Makoto's tone as he slowly started to realize Sousuke's words. "What are you talking about?"

Sousuke's grip tightened on Makoto, he was eyeing Kiba the whole time. "I'm who you want, not Makoto. You said you'll let him go if I come. And I did. Makoto's life for mine."

"What?" Makoto gripped Sousuke's arm with his uninjured arm. "Sousuke, you can't—"

"A deal is a deal." Kiba said. "The boy can go. But you," he pointed to Sousuke. "you'll stay."

"Makoto." Sousuke said, turning to meet the eyes of the green-eyed boy. They were filled with hurt and disbelief and betrayal. Guilt hit Sousuke like a ton of bricks for causing them to be like that. But this was the only way. This was the only way he could save Makoto. He needed to stop running away from his past. "Makoto, you need to go. Get out of here, it's not safe."

"No! I won't leave you. I can't—" Makoto cried, clutching a fistful of of Sousuke's shirt tightly. "Sousuke, _they'll kill you_."

Sousuke smiled a small smile despite everything, holding up a hand to cup Makoto's cheek gently, his thumb wiping away all the tears. "Hey, it's okay." He said softly, "As long as you live, nothing else matters."

" _You_ matter." Makoto cried. " _You matter to me._ "

From the corner of his eye, Sousuke could see the wave of vampires moving closer. They were running out of time.

"I love you, Makoto." Sousuke said with all the amount of determination and clarity he could muster. This was the last time he would ever say it again.

"I love you too, Sousuke." Makoto whispered brokenly, knowing that this was the end. He leaned in and their lips pressed against one another's. One last time. Then Sousuke was pushing him away.

"Go." Sousuke backed away. "Get out of here. Don't look back."

And Makoto did. He was a coward. He ran, tears clouding his vision. He ran and ran and ran, until he was out of the horrible building and on the safety of some nearby street.

And there, he broke down crying.  
\-------

"I can still smell his scent. He hasn't left the house too long ago." Rin said, narrowing his eyes.

"We should follow him." Haruka said, "I have a bad feeling."

"Come on, we'd have to hurry." Rin said, grabbing the raven boy's hand.

They made their way down alleyways and small unseen paths in between buildings. Sousuke's scent faltered occasionally but they managed to always catch a whiff of it shortly after it faded. Very soon they were standing in front of some old, abandoned-looking building.

"Are you sure this is the place Sousuke's in?" Haruka asked.

"Positive. Maybe he comes here to brood about his life."

"Rin," Haruka elbowed him, giving him an unimpressed glance.

The sound of crying broke their playful atmosphere. Rin looked around and his eyes widened. "Makoto!"

Makoto who looked like he'd been through hell and back, looked up and he saw them. His mouth fell open in surprise. Haruka rushed to his friend, his eyes wide and alarmed at all the injuries on his body. "Makoto, what happened to you?"

"Sousuke..." Makoto's lip trembled as he pointed to the building behind them. "Sousuke's going to get killed."

\--------  
"I've waited six years for this." Kiba said. He was a predator now, circling around his prey, looking smug that he's got Sousuke trapped in his grasp. "Six whole years to finally kill you."

He lunged forward, claws outstretched and Sousuke ducked, reaching into his weapons belt and pulling out a dagger. He slashed it at Kiba who darted away. A part of him was wondering why he even bothered to put up a fight. He was a dead man anyway. There was no way he could escape anymore.

A few of Kiba's clan began advancing, attacking along with their leader. Sousuke was beginning to feel the effects of being outnumbered. He ducked and skidded against the floor and out of the way. Fighting humans was one thing. Fighting vampires who could match the same speed and strength with him was the real challenge. How did he do it back in his hunting years? He was extremely out of practice.

He slashed at the vampires in front of him. He knew he was only buying time for himself. It was just animal instinct to defy death, even to the last minute. Kiba suddenly materialized in front of him, snarling and knocking away the dagger in his hand. Sousuke looked behind him, he was backed up against the wall. There was no escape.

"It was nice meeting you while it lasted, Yamazaki." Kiba said, slamming his hand around Sousuke's neck. Sousuke winced. "You could have been such a good subjugate, if you hadn't run away."

It was normal to fear death, and being a vampire was of no exception. But at that moment, Sousuke felt nothing. No pain, no fear, no regrets. He didn't even feel the pain when Kiba dug his claws into his skin, drawing blood. Sousuke didn't regret, not even an ounce in his being, on letting go Makoto in exchange for his life. He would do it in a heartbeat all over again if he had to. Knowing that Makoto was safe now, it made him relaxed against Kiba's hold. He had done his part—the only role he was meant to fulfill—he had protected his mate, the one thing that mattered to his life.

Makoto was alive and that was all that mattered.

"I'm going to kill you." Kiba sneered, his claws hovering just above Sousuke's chest. "I'm going to make you pay for what you've done to me."

He closed his eyes and he felt his mouth tug upwards.

He was ready.

_"Stop!"_

Sousuke eyes flew open.

Standing by the doorway were three figures. The sight of them made all the previous calm that fogged Sousuke's mind dissipate in an instant. Panic set in immediately and he started struggling in Kiba's grasp. Makoto, who he had fought so hard to keep alive, who Sousuke made sure had escaped the building and out of danger, had now returned and was back where he was before. And now, Rin and Haru were both here too.

"Makoto—Rin, Haru!"

Kiba followed his gaze to the three people. They were staring at the pair with an expression that Sousuke could only describe as shock. Kiba pulled away from Sousuke, heading towards them, a grin spreading on his face. The rest of the vampires in the room turned their hungry gazes towards the newly-entered trio.

Sousuke scrambled up and rushed forward to stop Kiba from going any closer from his friends and his mate.

"No," Sousuke gritted his teeth when he blocked Kiba, shielding the rest behind him. "You said you would not hurt Makoto."

 _"I changed my mind."_ Kiba grinned, seeing Sousuke pale drastically at his words. "He seems to like it here anyway, seeing as he keeps coming back."

"You can't hurt Makoto." Haruka pushed forward, his eyes didn't even hold an ounce of fear as they glared at Kiba. "I won't let you."

"And who are you to stop me?" Kiba towered over him threateningly but Haruka held his gaze with a stoic one of his own, silently challenging Kiba. Rin growled at Kiba and wrapped a protective arm around Haruka's waist, moving forward to block Makoto from Kiba's view too.

"Back off." Rin hissed, narrowing his eyes.

"This is only between you and me." Sousuke said, placing a hand on Kiba's shoulder and pushing him back. "You said it yourself."

"You killed my mate, Yamazaki. It would be too forgiving of me to end your pathetic little life just like that—" Kiba said, "after all, I know how much you hate being a vampire."

Sousuke stiffened at his words, and Kiba smiled, knowing he'd hit a nerve. "Why not I let you feel what you made me feel, when you took away my mate?"

"I didn't—"

"And for your friends..." Kiba snapped his fingers and his clan of vampires started advancing forward, fangs bared. "I don't tolerate trespassers."

Sousuke pressed back as the vampires started closing in. He could hear Makoto's quickened heartbeat behind him. He felt Rin tensed behind him, cursing when he counted the mass number of vampires approaching them.

"Stay close to me." Sousuke said under his breath, knowing his friends had heard him. He reached into his weapons belt and pulled out a stake and several knives. He handed the knives to Rin and Haru. "You guys think you can handle the knives?"

"Shouldn't be a problem."

"Aim for the hearts. Kill them all."

"Sweet." Rin whistled, grabbing his knife. Haruka studied the knife carefully, running his finger at the blade until he deemed it was fit. He nodded and gripped the handle.

"Don't I get a knife?" Makoto asked.

"I ran out of them." Sousuke said sharply but when he turned around, his eyes softened at the sight of his mate. "Here, I have some holy water." He gave Makoto a bottle. "Stay close to us, Makoto." His voice dropped to a whisper beside Makoto's ear. "You shouldn't have come back."

"Leaving you was my mistake." Makoto replied. "I'm not leaving you again."

"I'm sorry I got you into this." Sousuke said, "I'll get you out, I promise."

Before Makoto could reply, Sousuke grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him towards his chest, another arm slashing at the vampire behind Makoto.

"Sousuke, behind you!"

He turned around to see a vampire about to pounce at him, but Rin was in front of them in a flash, stabbing the dagger through the vampire's chest, right where the heart was. The vampire stilled and dropped to the ground, dead. Rin grimaced as he pulled out the knife which was now slicked with blood.

Haruka was busy fighting off a horde of vampires. "Just how big is Kiba's clan?" He panted, dodging another blow and kicking a vampire out of the way.

"He has the biggest clan in the city." Sousuke answered.

"Great." Rin huffed, "why'd you have to mess with this guy?"

"Not my fault." Sousuke grumbled, slashing a vampire's head clean off. His body was splattered with blood, some his own, most from the vampires of Kiba's. He turned to the side and didn't have time to react as a vampire was about to make a grab for him, though seconds later, the vampire screamed and clutched her face, falling back. Sousuke looked up and saw Makoto with the bottle of holy water in his hands, looking stunned.

"Thanks Makoto." Sousuke said, thoroughly impressed. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." Makoto nodded.

Sousuke spotted Kiba across the side of the room, and his gaze darkened. "Rin, Haruka, take care of Makoto. Don't let him out of your sight."

"Where are you going?" Rin asked, whipping his head around when he saw Sousuke already making his way to the other direction.

"Finishing what I started."

Kiba looked up and met Sousuke's eyes. He narrowed his eyes and lunged forward the same time Sousuke did. He ducked when Sousuke tried to punch him and lashed out at Sousuke with his claws. Sousuke growled when he felt a stinging pain on his right cheek, followed by sticky liquid dripping down his face. He grabbed his stake and tried to stab at Kiba, who spun away laughing. Sousuke gritted his teeth in frustration.

"You can't kill me, Yamazaki. You're not strong enough to do that. I'm your creator. I made you." Kiba sneered. He spun around and Sousuke was too late to stop him—he dug his claws deep into Sousuke's side. Sousuke cried out more from shock than pain, staggering backwards and clutching his wound, blood seeping out through his fingers and pouring down onto the floor.

_"You can't kill me."_

\----------  
Rin was getting tired, he had lost his only dagger and was fighting purely with his fangs and claws. There were just too many of them, they were going to get killed if they kept this up. Rin fought through the wave of vampires to get to his mate. If he was going to die, he was going to die protecting Haruka.

Haruka slashed at a vampire and turned to him, as though he could sense Rin's presence. His eyes were wild and alarmed. "Rin—"

"We can't keep this up." Rin panted, throwing a punch at a vampire behind Haruka.

"I know." Haruka clenched his jaw. His blade was covered entirely with blood, some of it staining his hands and arms. Someone knocked the blade away from his grasp. Haruka gasped, and spun around, but it was too late. The vampires were advancing in on them, cornering the both of them against the wall. Rin pushed Haruka behind him protectively, baring his fangs.

A dark shadow zipped past, landing in between the both of them and the vampires. Rin's eyes widened and he heard Haruka's sharp intake of breath. The vampires fell back, looking equally alarmed and confused.

Because there was a wolf standing in the middle of the room.  
\---------

From across the room, Makoto scanned the room of chaos in search of his mate. Rin and Haru were busy battling vampires. Makoto was worried—Sousuke was nowhere to be seen.

_There._

At the end of the room, Sousuke and Kiba were engaged in a dangerous fight. Makoto's heart leapt painfully in his chest when he saw that Sousuke was bleeding and injured. Even from a distance, Makoto could see that Sousuke wasn't fighting with clarity—his moves were reckless and blunt, fogged with blinding rage. The next second, his feet were moving on their own accord. He needed to get there. He needed to...

He was so close to Sousuke now. Sousuke was all he could see in this madness. He ducked and dodged at the vampires, his walking turning into running the closer he got.

He saw Kiba kicked Sousuke back, who stumbled unsteadily on his feet, cradling his wound protectively with his hand. He saw Sousuke throw a punch at Kiba, only to have the other vampire grab his neck and throw his away as though he was ragged doll. Sousuke was losing. Makoto ran faster.

But then something happened that made him stop.

Kiba had rushed towards Sousuke, snatching up the stake and stabbing it deep into his mate's chest, right where the heart was.

And Makoto screamed.

\--------  
Rin's first thought was _'werewolf'_ as he took in the sight in front of him. The wolf's fur was a reddish brown color and it was huge. Bigger than any average wolf. It was baring its sharp teeth at Kiba's vampires, warning them to back off. From the shadows, two more wolves appeared, growling, their eyes glowing menacingly in the dark. They went to stand behind the first werewolf.

It looked like they were protecting Rin and Haruka.

"Is–is that a werewolf?" Haruka breathed.

Rin nodded. He was still on edge—even if the werewolves looked like they were on their side, he still didn't trust them not to attack.

The vampires glanced at each other uncertainly. Some of the vampires from the crowd snarled, and lunged forward, the rest following their lead. Rin braced himself, gripping Haruka's wrist. The werewolves growled and attacked, pouncing on the vampires and tearing them to pieces.

Rin cursed when a vampire attacked, missing them only by inches. "We have to go."

"What about—" Haruka gasped. "What about the werewolves?"

"I don't know." Rin replied, flustered. The appearance of the werewolves had definitely taken him off guard. Haruka yanked at his wrist, eyes blown wide with the realization that their friend was missing.

"Rin, where's Makoto?"

Rin cursed and scanned the room. With all the previous excitement, they had completely forgotten about Makoto. The room was huge and crowded with fighting vampires—and now werewolves—and it made it hard for him to find Makoto.

"Come on."

A wolf landed in front of them and they halted. It was the wolf they had seen before. The very first one that had saved them. Rin crouched forward in a protective stance, ready to attack if necessary.   

Slowly and as they watched in amazement, the wolf morphed into a man. He stood up and glanced at them. His hair was the same color as his fur. He raised both hands up at Rin's threatening position. "Woah, calm down." He said. "I'm on your side."

Rin relaxed and straightened up. He eyed the man warily. "Who are you?"

"Seijuro Mikoshiba, Alpha of the local pack."

"I'm Haruka Nanase and this is Rin Matsuoka."  
  
"Thanks for coming to save us." Rin said, looking to what he supposed was the leader of the werewolf pack. He wasn't sure how werewolf dynamics worked. Up until now, he didn't even know werewolves existed, and now he was legitimately speaking to one face to face. "Are you Sousuke's friend?"

"What are you talking about?" The werewolf asked confused. He had shifted back to his human form now and Rin had just realized and was trying to ignore the fact that this man standing in front of him right now, was very naked. "We came here to save the other boy."

_The other boy..._

Rin's mind went black for a second, while his body moved instinctually, ducking when one of the vampires clawed at him. "Wait—you mean Makoto?"

"Yeah, the boy is one of us." The werewolf said, before he shifted back into the form of a wolf and pounced on a vampire.

\-------  
"Sousuke!"

He heard a voice scream. Or maybe there were a lot of voices, he wasn't sure. The world seemed to slow down, and the only thing he could hear was a loud rushing noise by his ears. He could see Kiba grinning maniacally, both hands still grasped firmly at the stake impaled in Sousuke's chest. He saw the blood pour from his chest, seeping past his fingers and soaking his shirt with more blood than before. But he couldn't feel anything.

Was this how it felt to be dying?

_No..._

He couldn't die like this.

He refused.

Sousuke clenched his jaw. He staggered back, and with his both hands, he slowly pulled out the bloody stake out from his body bit by bit. He cried out, tears welling up in his eyes. The pain was so much, it almost made him pass out. He tightened his grip on the stake once it was out of his body. Gathering the last of his strength, he rushed forward with his vampire speed, embedding the stake deep into Kiba's heart.

Kiba's eyes were wide and shocked. "You—" He stumbled, looking up from his chest to Sousuke. His previous glare was gone, and in its place was only disbelief.

"I'm not strong." Sousuke rasped, clutching at his chest. "but you're _wrong_. I'm still strong enough to kill you."

"I—" Kiba never got to finish what he wanted to say, because in the next second, he had fallen to the ground, dead and unmoving. The light in his eyes was gone.

Sousuke stared at Kiba's body, face grim before the strength dissipated from his legs and he collapsed onto the floor. He tried blinking away at the dark spots appearing at the corners of his vision. He was dying. He was going to die, just like how Kiba died.

At least Makoto and his friends would be safe now. At his last moments, Sousuke took comfort in that thought. Without their leader, Kiba's vampires would be lost. They wouldn't know what to do—they'd just be headless chickens running around without someone to guide them.

"Sousuke!" He felt a certain pressure on his chest and he opened his eyes. Makoto held his hand to the wound, but no amount of pressure he tried to apply could stop the blood from flowing. The red liquid still gushed between his fingers and oozed under his hand.

"Don't cry." Sousuke said softly, reaching out a weak hand to brush away the tears flowing down Makoto's cheeks. "I can't stand to see you cry."

"You're going to be okay." Makoto said, but it sounded more like he was talking to himself. "You're going to be okay Sousuke, do you hear me?"

"I'm sorry." Sousuke said, his breath came in ragged, shallow gasps, and it sounded like he was using all the energy he could muster in his body just to say the two words. He let out a wearied sigh. Makoto shook his head, a small wet laugh escaping his lips.

"Makoto..." Sousuke whispered, staring up at the ceiling. "It's so cold."

Makoto let out a sob, palms still pressed helplessly against Sousuke's bleeding chest. "Sousuke, stay with me, _please_!" He was crying, pleading with his mate to look at him, to stay with him, feeling the very fluid of Sousuke's life drain away over his cold hands. And there was nothing he could do.

Sousuke could feel himself drifting away, the will to stay awake was slipping out of his grasp. He was growing weaker by the second. Vaguely he heard footsteps approaching him, but it could have been his imagination. The pain was still there and his chest still felt like fire. It was slowly consuming him.

It was too much.

He let his eyes fall shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please give kudos if you had enjoyed it. And also, do let me know what you think about this chapter in the comments below (specifically about Makoto and Sousuke) :) I'll try to post the next chapter soon when I'm in the UK.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It won't be easy. They're coping, but they'll be okay.

_It was raining._

_The man looked up to the sky. Dark, ominous-looking clouds hung overhead. Thunder rumbled as the first few drops of rain started falling. It was like the sky was crying along with him. He tightened his hands around the tiny bundle he was holding and hurried along the sidewalk._

_The man stopped when he was standing in front of a door. The rain was pouring so hard now, that it hurt when it hit his skin, like a million bullets falling from the sky, piercing his skin._

_But it was his heart that was truly hurting._

_A woman opened the door after the second knock. Her eyes were wide open with anxiousness. She looked around and ushered him inside hurriedly._

_"Here." The man handed her an envelope. "His documents." He glanced at her, his eyes filled with so much pain, wavering before they hardened, his mind already set. "You know what to do."_

_"I do but—" She hesitated. "A-Are you sure about this?"_

_There were tears in her eyes too._

_He looked down at the baby in his arms. This may very well be the last time he gazed upon his son. He thought losing his wife was the hardest thing he had to endure, up until now..._

_He felt like a failure._

_"Makoto." He looked to the woman—his wife's sister—and there was a certain urgency in his eyes as though he knew his time is running out. "His name is Makoto Tachibana."_

_The woman nodded. "I understand."_

_The baby had started to cry, as though he knew what was going to happen. His loud wails bouncing against the walls, in perfect harmony with the storm outside. His face red with exertion. The man stroke a thumb tenderly against the babe's cheek. He knew that his time was up._

_"I'm...sorry, Makoto."_

_He has to go._

_"Promise me." The man murmured, casting one last look at his baby, his son. "Promise me you'll never tell him." He said, passing the bundle into the woman's arms._

_"I promise."_

_"He will be safe here."_

\--------  
Teal eyes flew open.

Sousuke stared up blankly at the white ceiling above him. He could smell coffee and hear several voices downstairs. The whole situation felt so domestic that it took several moments for it to dawn on him that he was in his own room in his house, lying on his bed. Alive.

He was alive.

'Guess I get to see the house again,' he thought to himself. He was confused and a little disorientated, but he was quick to put the pieces together. He must have made it by some miracle above, to survive from that fatal wound. Sousuke's hand shot to his chest. The place where he remembered it last hurting so much. But there was no blood there. There was no pain either. The spot felt brand new. If Sousuke hadn't remembered that he had almost died, or the battle, he would have thought he had woken up in another typical morning.

He tried getting up and out of bed, but his entire body protested against him. The furthest he could go was just by sitting up and leaning against the headboard of the bed. He felt so weak. It was like his limbs weren't even solid. He couldn't even turn his head to the side, his neck felt stiff and sore. He wondered how long he had been sleeping like this. His throat burned as an indication that it had been a while since he last fed.

The door opened and as Sousuke watched, Makoto walked in. He looked tired. Dark circles ringed his eyes, and his brown hair looked ruffled and disheveled. He looked like he hadn't had a good sleep in days. His wrist was encased in a cast and there was a bandage plastered on the bridge of his nose.

"Makoto." His voice was hoarse and rough and small, but it was enough to make Makoto's head snap to him. Makoto's beautiful green eyes were blown wide, his mouth fell open but no words came out. His body was stiff and tensed as he continued staring.

Sousuke knew he should have said something about how he survived, or maybe how he felt at the moment. But the only words he could say when he gazed back at Makoto were, "You're _okay_."

That seemed to break whatever trance Makoto was in. He saw Makoto's eyes water and glisten with tears. And in the very next second, the boy was in front of Sousuke and clinging to him, like he was so afraid Sousuke would disappear right in front of his eyes the moment he let go.

"Sousuke—oh my god, you're awake!" Makoto cried, gripping Sousuke's shoulders. "I thought I was going to lose you! You—you weren't waking up and.. and..." He sobbed even harder and Sousuke's arms came around him, pulling him closer and stroking his hair.

"Shh, I'm sorry I put you through all of that baby," Sousuke whispered, trying to swallow around the lump forming in his throat. He hated seeing Makoto cry. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"Not your fault." Makoto's small voice was muffled against Sousuke's chest but Sousuke had heard it and he smiled softly.

"How are you feeling?" Makoto asked, pulling back and scanning Sousuke's face and body frantically. He tried wiping away his tears with the back of his hand. "Does it hurt? Are you—"

"Makoto," Sousuke covered his hand on his mate's and gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm okay."

Makoto exhaled shakily. "Okay. That's good. I was so worried."

"What about you?" Sousuke's concern only grew stronger when he noticed the fading bruises on Makoto's face, which were turning yellowish in color. He brushed his thumb softly against them, and Makoto winced. "Does it still hurt?"

Makoto shook his head, but Sousuke knew he was lying. It only fueled the ache in his chest.

"How long has it been?" He asked.

"A week and a half." Makoto replied, "A week since you..." He looked away and squeezed his eyes tightly shut, as though the memory was physically painful.

Sousuke could almost hear the words even though Makoto didn't say anything. ~~A week since you almost died.~~

"How–how am I still alive?" Sousuke asked, "I thought Kiba—the stake clearly stabbed me in the heart."

Makoto shook his head and gave him a small smile. "It missed your heart by a few centimeters. Though you were bleeding out and by the time we got you back here you were already close to death." He swallowed visibly, and Sousuke rubbed his thumb over Makoto's knuckles. "You took a longer time to heal though, since the wound was so close to your heart."

"Who..." Sousuke trailed off, but Makoto understood.

"One of the werewolves helped us out. He's a doctor. They had to pump blood back into your system because you lost so much of it." Makoto explained. "It took you about six days to heal completely, but even after then, you didn't wake up. We thought something went wrong, but all the scans showed that you were fine."

Sousuke could only imagine the feelings of frustration and worry they all had to go through, especially his mate who felt these emotions ten times stronger than anyone else. He felt even more awful when he realized that Makoto was injured all this time, and he didn't even receive the rest that he deserved.

"A week and a half." He repeated, letting the truth of it sink in. "Wait. Did you just say werewolf?"

Makoto nodded. "They came during the battle and saved us."

Sousuke blinked, still trying to process what Makoto had just told him. He didn't even know werewolves existed. He always thought it'd be only vampires, which was a stupid thought—if there was the possibility of vampires, then there should be other supernatural creatures too.

He had so many unanswered questions, all waiting to escape the moment he open his mouth but his body had other plans. He was slowly starting to feel the strong burn of his hunger and desire for blood run through his body. He tried to shake it away, but his fangs were already unsheathing out from his gums.

Makoto's eyes widened when he saw Sousuke's fangs. "Oh, you must be hungry! Wait, I'll go and get some blood for you." He stood up and rushed out of the door. He came back moments later, holding out two blood packets for Sousuke. "Rin had managed to get them."

His body yearned for the food, but Sousuke hesitated, staring at the blood packets in Makoto's palm. He didn't know if he should do this in front of Makoto, after everything his mate had gone through...

"What's wrong?" Makoto's brows furrowed when Sousuke didn't move to take the packets out of his hand.

"I just—maybe it's best if you don't see this." Sousuke said, and he couldn't quite meet Makoto's eyes. "After everything's that happened to you..."

Makoto eyes dawned in realization, before he gave Sousuke a soft smile. "I'll be fine Sousuke, don't worry about me. That's all you've been doing so far, you should start worrying about yourself."

"How can I worry about myself when I've caused so much harm to you already?" Sousuke asked quietly, looking down at his hands in silence.

Makoto was stunned. "Sousuke... It wasn't your fault."

"It was." Sousuke said, suddenly looking angry, "Kiba kidnapped you because of me. You were there because of me and then you got hurt...Makoto, you almost _died_." Guilt and shame tore through him like a storm. He couldn't stop blaming himself for everything's that happened. He had not only endangered his mate but also two of his closest friends. They barely made it out alive.

"Sousuke." Makoto said softly, placing one hand on his hand. "Listen to me, none of it was your fault. Everything Kiba has ever done to you...you never deserved any of it."

"I—I don't..."

"It's over. It's done." Makoto said softly but firmly, "We'll think about it later. Right now you just need to focus on healing. You need your strength back."

"Okay." Sousuke said—he figured that he owed it to Makoto to get better anyway—and he tentatively took the packets of blood from Makoto. The green-eyed boy smiled encouragingly, that smile never wavering even when Sousuke tore open the two bags and swallowed all of the blood in one go.

"There," Makoto said, "do you feel better?"

Sousuke nodded, noting that his veins don't burn anymore now that his thirst was sated. That didn't mean his strength was completely back yet though, and that annoyed him. He hated feeling weak. "Can you help me up? I need to use the washroom."

Makoto went over and draped one of Sousuke arms over his neck, wrapping one around Sousuke's waist and together they shuffled to the washroom. "God, I feel so weak." Sousuke complained.

"It's alright. You're always taking care of me." Makoto said. "I want to be the one taking care of you this time." Sousuke looked away when Makoto said that, but Makoto could see a faint pink dusting his cheeks. He smiled.

When they returned and Sousuke was back in bed, Makoto turned to leave but Sousuke tugged his arm. "Stay with me. I've missed you."

Makoto smiled and crawled up the bed, pressing himself against Sousuke. He clutched at the front of Sousuke's shirt. "God, I've missed you too." He closed his eyes but opened them seconds later, uncertainty flickering in those green orbs.

"Go to sleep, you're tired." Sousuke said when he noticed this, tucking Makoto's face into the crook of his neck. "I'm here now and I'm not leaving."

And that was how Rin and Haru found them an hour later, fast asleep and wrapped up in each other's arms.

\-------  
"I need to tell you something." Makoto spoke up nervously. It had been a week since Sousuke had woken up. He was well enough to get out of bed after feeding and by the next day, he was up and walking already. Everyone had fussed over him—which was perfectly understandable, since he had almost _died_ —but by the third day Sousuke was positively glad to be free from all the pampering he was receiving.

"Hmm, what is it baby?"

"I think you might need to sit down for a while." Makoto tugged at Sousuke's hand and led him to the couch. Sousuke quirked an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Okay, I don't want you to freak out." Makoto started, "I was pretty freaked out when I found out too."

"Um...okay?"

"And it will probably be a little hard to take in—"

"Makoto, you're worrying me." Sousuke pulled him down so Makoto was sitting on the couch beside him. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"Sou, it's just—" Makoto said, and stopped, trying to find the right words. "I don't know any other way to say this but—I'm a werewolf."

Sousuke froze. He blinked once. "What?"

"I'm a werewolf." Makoto said, a bit louder this time. "Well kind of, technically speaking—"

"Makoto, I don't understand—" Sousuke shook his head, "when did you—"

"Remember how I told you that werewolves came to our rescue during the battle?" Makoto toyed with his fingers nervously. "Well they came because of me. They—They came to save me."

"Because you're one of them?"

"It's a long story. And I only just learned about it." Makoto replied. He didn't quite meet Sousuke's gaze this whole time, always looking down and keeping his tone small. Sousuke wanted to tilt his head up, so he could see those beautiful green orbs which he loved so badly.

"Okay, tell me about it." Sousuke said, patting his lap and indicating Makoto to come into his open embrace. His mate hesitated, and Sousuke leaned forward, pulling him into his arms. Makoto squeaked and his face exploded in color.

"Sousuke! You'll hurt yourself!"

"How can I hurt myself when I have you here with me?" Sousuke said, rubbing his nose against Makoto's. Makoto scrunched his eyes shut and blushed even harder, if that was even possible. He settled into Sousuke's lap, fingers toying with the hem of Sousuke's top. They both made themselves comfortable; they were going to spend quite a long time here.

"Okay..."

\-------

"Okay," Sousuke sighed, rubbing his palms together. "you guys have questions. I can tell."

"Well no shit we do," Rin said, though he gave Sousuke a friendly grin.

"Sousuke, you don't have to tell us anything if you don't want to." Haruka said, "I mean, it's your past and we would understand if you don't feel comfortable sharing anything."

"After I almost led you guys to your death?" Sousuke scoffed, "I think you guys deserve to know everything."

"Take your time." Makoto who was sitting beside Sousuke grabbed on to his mate's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, in which Sousuke returned. He glanced up and was met with three pairs of eyes staring at him, burning with uncontrolled curiosity. He sighed. He wasn't a big fan of bringing up anything from his past, but he owed it to them. They saved his life, and they were friends who genuinely cared.

"It was seven years ago..."

\--------

"I _made_ you. You're nothing without me." Kiba sneered at Sousuke, who was being held tightly by two other vampires, each of them having a iron-like grip on his arms. "You _will_ obey me."

"I may be a vampire now, but I don't obey to anyone. Especially not to you." Sousuke spat. He saw Kiba's eyes darken at such a move of retaliation, and all around him the other vampires bristled. He knew he was done for. The hands tightened around his arms, fingers digging in harshly and holding him in place.

"It's not like you can leave. You're part of the clan now." Kiba said, leaning in close. "It's such a shame you won't follow my instructions, you would have made such a good subjugate for me."

Sousuke turned his head away, disgusted.

"Are you hungry yet?" Kiba said, holding up a packet of blood in his hands, dangling it mockingly just out of Sousuke's reach.

It was like Sousuke's body came alive at the sight of blood. Without him even realizing, Sousuke was pulling against the vampires' arms that held him captive, his body eager to be fed. His throat burned with thirst and his veins thrummed and buzzed underneath his skin.

Kiba seemed to notice this too. He only laughed.

Sousuke was so _hungry_. They hadn't allowed him any blood for almost five days now. And with each passing day, he could feel his strength leaving him. It horrified him to wake up feeling weaker and weaker with each passing day. He could feel himself in their mercy, he could feel the chances of escaping slipping away slowly. And he hated every second of it. They loved it though. They loved torturing him, seeing him suffer. It was revenge, he knew. All because he used to be a vampire hunter.

"Give it to me." He growled through gritted teeth, his fangs threatening to slip out at any second.

"I don't think so." Kiba smirked. And to Sousuke's despair, he tore up the blood packet and let the blood pour to the floor in a wasted puddle. Sousuke almost felt the wind knocked out of his chest as he watched, his mind screaming out in distress.

"Oh but we can't having you falling into bloodlust, can we?" Kiba took the now-empty blood packet and pressed it against Sousuke's lips. Sousuke's fangs burst out of his gums, his tongue darting out desperately to catch those few precious drops of liquid .

"That sure be enough." Kiba grinned, ripping the bag away. Sousuke almost wailed in despair, his body crying out to be fed. "I'm sure you'll survive without a few more days of blood."

They beat him up. Like they always did. And as he laid there, bruised and bloody and starving, he made a vow to himself.

He would run. He would get out of there.

He would die trying.

\-----

"Where did he go?" He could hear Kiba's outraged yell behind him. It was only a matter of time before they catch on to his scent and find him. He pushed forward, though his body felt like it would fail and collapse on itself in any moment now. He had to put as much distance behind him.

His mind was racing. Where could he go? All this time he had plotted and planned to get out of that hellhole, and now that he was truly out, he felt more lost than ever. He cursed at himself as he rounded another corner, now wasn't the time to feel self-pity. His mind raced as his legs pumped along like a machine—not with strength, but with pure determination to escape, pushing him forward.

Water. He needed to find a place with water.

He continued running.

The voices behind him were growing louder, Sousuke ducked into an alleyway.

It was a dead end.

He looked frantically around him.

 _There_.

He rushed forward, yanking open the sewer gate. He could hardly see anything below but he could hear the sounds of sloshing water. There was no time to hesitate. He let his feet dangle over the edge before he jumped, closing the gate above him in the process.

The water was cold, it went up to his waist and he resisted the urge to shiver at the cold. Sousuke forced his feet to keep moving, to keep going forward into the darkness.

"I was sure he went this way."

"I can still smell him."

He heart two splashes behind him and he knew they had descended down into the sewer. He could only pray that the darkness would protect him.

"It's too dark, I can't see him."

"I can't smell him either."

"Fucking hell. Kiba's going to kill us."

He heard them wading through the water and pressed himself further into the wall, praying that they would not find him. After a few minutes of futile searching, he heard them speak again.

"We don't know which direction he went to. We should just go. This is pointless."

Sousuke smiled to himself. He was right—the water and the stench of the sewage worked to cover up his scent from the other vampires. He pressed himself to the side of the tunnel, waiting until the sound of their voices faded away before he slipped off further into the darkness.  
\------

"Tell me." Sousuke said, as he handed the man some money. They were standing in an dirty alley at the back of some club which Sousuke couldn't remember the name to. Though no one paid them any mind, Sousuke has his hood up, shielding his face from any curious passerby.

The man smiled. He was a vampire too. But he didn't belong to any clan. Like Sousuke. Usually Sousuke would put as little contact as he would with other vampires, but he had something he needed to know.

"Kiba's still out to get you."

It wasn't just about revenge, Sousuke knew that. He was Kiba's prize, his _trophy_. How many other vampires actually managed to capture not one, but two vampire hunters? Not only did he capture them, he turned Sousuke into a being like himself. A being that Sousuke was born and raised to hate and despise.

"He's been sending his men out every night for the past two weeks. The fact that you ran away from him only made him look bad in front of his clan and every other clan he knows. Just for that, he's not going to let you go that easily."

"I know that." Sousuke shrugged nonchalantly. He did know—there was really no point that the man tell him stuff like that. "Anything else I should know about?"

"I heard they're going to be patrolling around the other side of town, so you'll be safe around here for a couple of days."

Sousuke nodded. "You've prepared the documents I've asked you to?"

The man dug into his backpack and pulled out a brown sealed envelope. "Everything's in here."

Sousuke took the envelope into his hands and inspected the contents. He gave a satisfied hum and handed out a roll of cash to the man. "Just a few days more, and I can leave the country and get out of here." He moved to walk away when the man spoke up again.

"There's another thing."

"What is it?"

"Kiba's mate," The man said, "she's dead."

As soon as the words left the man's mouth, Sousuke felt himself stiffen all over. "How?"

"She joined the search yesterday. I heard Kiba refused to let her go, but she insisted." The man replied, leaning back against the dirty alley wall. "Her group bumped into some vampire hunters on the way. They weren't so lucky."

Sousuke was silent, but internally he was trying to process all this new information which he had not expected at all.

"You do know what this means, don't you?"

He did. He knew what it meant. Kiba has now even more reason to get him. His mate died on a search to find Sousuke. Sousuke's chances of ever getting free of this tangled mess only grew slimmer.

"A few more days," Sousuke said, but it sounded more like he was talking to himself. "A few more days is all I need."  
\------

"What the actual—" Rin was so angry he opened his mouth to start swearing, only to have Haruka nudge him with his elbow. His mouth snapped shut but he was still simmering with rage at Sousuke's story.

"And that's pretty much how I ended up staying in Australia all these years." Sousuke said, rubbing his palms nervously. It's the first time Makoto has seen him this unsettled to be honest; he subtly placed a hand on Sousuke's knee.

"Even then, I kept to myself. I've never—I've never truly felt safe." Sousuke admitted. He gave a little laugh at the end, but they all could see how tensed he had become.

"How dare he—I'll fucking kill that bastard!" Rin snarled. "What a sick—"

"He's already dead, you idiot." Haruka deadpanned, though his gaze softened when it landed on Sousuke. "Sousuke, I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. And I'm sorry about—about your father."

"I'm glad you made it out alive though. And now Kiba's dead and we won't have to worry about him anymore." Rin piped up, smiling gently. He was trying his best to make Sousuke feel better—all of them were—and just the thought of that put Sousuke at ease.

"We're going to be okay now." Makoto added softly, placing his hand on Sousuke's. Sousuke glanced down at their intertwined fingers.

Makoto was right.

It was going to take some time for all of them to recover. But they have each other now.

They were going to be alright.

Sousuke smiled.

\-----  
"Makoto." Seijuro nodded politely when he came to visit one day. "How have you been?"

"I've been better." Makoto said, but he stepped back to let Seijuro in. "You do know why I called you here, don't you?"

"Of course." Seijuro said, "But are you sure you want to know about it?"

"Tell me Seijuro." Makoto pleaded, "I need answers."

Seijuro nodded, though his face was grim. "Your father was one of the werewolves in the pack. One day he met his mate, but she was human. He didn't want to turn her into a werewolf. He didn't want her going through the pain of transitioning and the risk of dying. They got married, but the Alpha of the pack disapproved that your mother was a human. Your father didn't mind though, he loved your mother all the same. Then they had you. Your parents were ecstatic. Your mother gave birth to you but in the end, she didn't make it."

Makoto felt like he couldn't breathe. His chest hurt. Everything hurt. All of sudden, he didn't want to know anymore. He pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes. He didn't even realize he was crying until he pulled his hands away and they were wet. He was crying for the mother he had never known. The mother who had died giving birth to him. Crying for the life he never had, or never will have.

"I..." Seijuro faltered, and he glanced at Makoto worriedly.

Makoto shook his head, trying to stop his tears. "Go on."

"After your mother died, the alpha wanted to have you killed. He said that you were an abomination to the pack, as you were not a werewolf. Your father couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let you die. Not after your mother died. So he brought you away. Hid you in a place where the pack would never find you."

"My aunt." Makoto whispered. "I've always asked her where my parents were. But she never told me."

"The Alpha thought that your father had killed you. He would have killed your father if he found out that you weren't dead. Your aunt did a good job keeping you hidden. I guess she didn't tell you because she didn't want to put you at risk. The lesser you knew about it, the safer you were."

"And where is the previous Alpha now?" Makoto asked.

"He's dead." Seijuro said grimly. "I killed him when I challenged him for the Alpha position."

"Oh..." Makoto replied quietly.

"When I heard about you—that you were still alive," Seijuro said, "I tried everything in my power to convince your father to let you back into the pack. But he refused. It has been sixteen years. You already have a normal human life and he didn't want to intrude on that. He felt like you would be happier if he didn't tell you any of it. Your father was stubborn and I knew I couldn't change his mind, so instead, I had the pack watch over you to keep you from any harm. We kept our distance, only intervening when necessary."

"That's why—you came and saved me." Makoto's eyes widened.

Seijuro nodded and winced. "I'm sorry it took so long. We were in conflict—the vampires and the werewolves, we had an agreement. We don't cross each other territories. Such an act can cause a war to break out between the two parties."

"But you—"

"I had to, Makoto." Seijuro said, "You're part of the pack, regardless of whether you can shift into a werewolf or not." Upon seeing Makoto's worried expression, he gave him a fond smile. "Don't worry about what happened, I'll deal with it. Besides, they captured one of our kind in the first place."

"I'm sorry you had to go through so much trouble for me..."

"It's my job as the alpha to look after the pack. I'm sorry that the previous alpha was a total asshole to you and your family. You never deserved any of it, Makoto."

Makoto sighed. He wanted to be angry at the previous Alpha but he knew there wasn't really a point? The guy was already dead. But if it wasn't for him, Makoto would have belonged in a pack now. He wouldn't have to grow up alone. He wouldn't have to spend nights staying awake wondering where his parents were. He wouldn't have to ask his aunt questions which he knew wouldn't be answered. He would have even grew up with Seijuro since they were about the same age. Makoto tried swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Makoto, about your father..." Seijuro started but Makoto winced as though it physically hurt, and he stopped. "He—he wants to meet you."

Makoto bit his bottom lip, which had begun to tremble. He let out a shaky breath. "No—I don't want to see him."

"Makoto—"

"No!" Makoto flinched back when Seijuro reached out to him. "He had never bothered to see me throughout all these years.

"He was trying to protect you, Makoto." Seijuro tried again.

"Is everything alright here?" Sousuke walked in, and immediately came over to Makoto's side, wrapping a comforting yet protective arm around his mate. Makoto leaned into his touch, seeking out the comfort he so desperately needed at the moment.

"I—I need time to think about it." Makoto said, pressing his cheek deeper into Sousuke's chest.

Seijuro sighed, but nodded. "I understand. I'll let him know."

\-------  
"I'll kill you." Kiba said, his breath tickling Sousuke's cheek. Sousuke closed his eyes, he was okay with dying; he could accept his death. "But first, I'll kill your precious mate Makoto, and I'll let you watch."

Sousuke's eyes shot opened and his breath caught in his throat. Kiba was now standing over Makoto's bloodied body that wasn't there before. Makoto gave a weak cough and blood splattered from his lips onto the floor.

"Makoto!"

"I'll kill him." Kiba said, "just like how you killed my mate."

"No, _please_!" His voice cracked in fear. Sousuke couldn't believe he was begging. But he couldn't do anything else. Makoto's was going to die. And he couldn't do anything except beg. "Kill me instead, leave him alone!"

Kiba smiled at him.

"Too late."

And with his claws, he dug it into Makoto's throat and tore the flesh open. Makoto made a weak choking sound, as blood gurgled and spilled out from his lips. He gave Sousuke one last glance, before the life died out from his eyes and his limp body crumpled to the floor.

" _Makoto!_ "

He jerked awake, gasping. He vaguely registered that he was damp with sweat. He frantically gazed around—he was in his room. It was dark and he was safe. He was safe. He was safe. And Makoto...

He whipped to the side, where his panicked eyes met Makoto's concerned ones. "Sousuke..."

"Makoto!" In an instant, he had a very stunned Makoto wrapped tightly in a bone-crushing hug. "I thought—you were dead... I saw Kiba kill you." He whispered, voice small and trembling.

He felt Makoto's hand rub against his back in soothing circles. "It was just a nightmare Sou...Shh, I'm here. It didn't happen."

After a while, Makoto had managed to calm Sousuke down enough for him to lie back down. Makoto still hovered over him worriedly. He was propped up on one elbow as he gazed down at his mate. His long slender fingers came up and brushed Sousuke's sweaty bangs away from his forehead. They traveled down to the side of his face, where Makoto's thumb brushed gently against Sousuke's cheek. "It's okay. Kiba's dead. You killed him and he's not going to come back."

"Yeah..." Sousuke said, but he still remained in the same position—with his arms wrapped tightly Makoto's body. "I know. I'm just so afraid to lose you, Makoto."

Makoto made a small hum of agreement. He leaned down and brushed his lips against Sousuke's forehead. Soft and barely-existent, almost like the gentle touch of butterfly wings. Just a small act like that, made something twinge in Sousuke's chest. His eyes fluttered close.

"I just—when you were dying, and how calm you looked..." Makoto whispered after a pause, "I don't think I can ever get that image out of my mind. I was so afraid that you were going to give up just like that. I was so afraid that I wouldn't ever be able to see your teal eyes again. That you were going to die in the middle of some abandoned building, surrounded by complete strangers who don't even know you—or care for you. Lifeless, and so tragically innocent and wasted. And I couldn't do anything else but beg you to stay with me. Stay for me. I've never felt so helpless." A shaky breath fell past his lips. "I've never been more afraid in my entire life. "

Sousuke closed his eyes, but he could feel the pinpricks of tears behind his eyelids, threatening to escape. "I accepted death. I did it because I knew you were going to be safe now. That I've protected you. You mean so much to me Makoto, you don't even know."

"I think I do." Makoto replied softly. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "I love you, Sousuke."

"I love you too, Makoto." Sousuke said, pushing himself up and pressing his lips against his mate's. He pulled away, staring at Makoto's eyes for a while. And though it was dark, he could still make out the slight glimmer of green orbs.

"So, _so_  much."

  
\------

"Are you ready?"

That was a stupid question, Sousuke knew, as they stood outside the porch facing the dark brown door. But it was the only thing he could think of at the moment. Although Makoto held a calm exterior, he was gripping Sousuke's hand so tightly his knuckles were white. Sousuke expected the answer to be a big fat no, but his brave little mate only nodded. Makoto moved forward, his other hand hovering over the doorbell.

"Stay by me." Makoto said softly, though his eyes were trained at the door ahead.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Makoto pressed the button.

Somewhere inside the house, they both heard the sound of footsteps approaching the door. Makoto tensed up and Sousuke rubbed a comforting thumb across his knuckles.

The door opened.

The first thought that went through Sousuke's mind when he saw Makoto's father standing by the doorway was that he was tall, just like Makoto. His second thought was 'holy shit- this is Makoto's father'.

"Makoto..." The man looked stunned and out of words.

Makoto stared down hard at his shoes, fingers gripping the fabric of his pants tightly.

"May we come in?" He heard Sousuke's voice behind him. He figured his father must have nodded because the next second, Sousuke placed a hand on his back and was guiding him towards what he believed was the living room. They both settled down on the couch with Makoto's father watching them nervously.

"Do you—" he said, "do you both want some tea?"

Makoto—who seemed to be stiff all over— stayed silent, he continued staring down at his clenched fists on his lap. Sousuke smiled softly at Makoto's father. "Tea would be nice sir, thank you."

When he left the room, Sousuke cupped a gentle hand at the back of Makoto's neck and gently massaged it. "Baby, relax."

Makoto closed his eyes and sighed, all the tension bleeding out from his body. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Sousuke said, and rubbed his nose affectionately against Makoto's cheek, all the while keeping a hand at the back of Makoto's neck. "You're okay."

Makoto's father returned with tea. He placed the tray on the table, before nervously returning back to his seat. He looked lost and unsure but Sousuke assumed that was because he was seeing his son face to face for the first time in years, and he probably wasn't sure how to react. Add to the fact that he must know Makoto wouldn't be too pleased to see him. Sousuke felt bad for the guy.

Another tensed minute of silence passed. Makoto's father fidgeted uncomfortably, as though he was under Makoto's scrutinizing gaze, even though Makoto had barely even lifted his head up.

"Sousuke, can you give us a moment?" Makoto spoke up softly after another agonizing second.

"Anything you need, baby." Sousuke said squeezing his hand and standing up. "I'll be in the kitchen."

When he left, Makoto and his father sat in silence, each one of them waiting for the other to break the ice.

"Makoto—"

"You gave me away."

"I had to." His father's voice cracked, and Makoto could hear the underlying pain that he has kept hidden carefully under a facade all these years. "The alpha would have killed you if I let you stay. And I—I couldn't let that happen..." He squeezed his eyes shut, as though he was in pain. "Not after I lost your mother."

"Mum—" Makoto broke off, the word feeling foreign against his tongue. He had never mentioned his mother before. He had asked his aunt countless times but when she had failed to give him answers he just stopped asking altogether. That was years ago. Growing up, he couldn't call anyone 'mum' and 'dad'. His aunt loved him, but he always grew up knowing she was his aunt, his guardian, and nothing more. "My mother died when she gave birth to me...was it because she wasn't a werewolf?"

"She—" His father was crying now- silent tears were streaming down his face at the thought of his deceased wife. "It was my fault. I didn't want to turn her like me. There was always the risk..."

Makoto kept silent. He might have been angry towards his father, but he knew what it felt to lose a mate. Or almost, in Sousuke's case. He could still remember how it felt. Back in that abandoned building, as he pressed his hands to Sousuke's chest, trying to stop the blood spilling past his fingers, he had never felt more afraid in his entire life. And when he thought Sousuke died, the pain that followed...

"You never came." A small bitter laugh escaped Makoto and he shook his head. "I was always hoping, always wishing that anyone of you would come, but you never came."

"Makoto," his father said, "I'm sorry."

Even though he was scared and confused about what he wanted, Makoto was sure of one thing. He didn't want his father's apologies. He had heard the word 'sorry' about a million times now and he wasn't even sure what it meant to him anymore. Apologies couldn't take back what had happened—everything that he had felt and went through when he was growing up.

" _Stop_." He burst out, " _Stop saying that_." I ~~t doesn't even mean anything anymore.~~

His father blinked, shocked, and let his arms fall limply to his side. Makoto was pretty shocked too but it was like the dam was broken. He found the words spewing out of his mouth beyond his control. "Why didn't you want to take me back? Even when you had the chance?" ~~Didn't you care? Didn't you love me? Was it because I wasn't one of your kind?~~

"I didn't want to intrude in the life that you have made for yourself. You grew up believing you were human; you were safe and away from this world and I wanted to keep it that way."

"It wasn't up to you to decide." Makoto said weakly.

"I know, Makoto." His father said softly, "I know what I did was unforgivable, and I'm not asking for your forgiveness. I just want you safe and happy. When I heard that you were taken, I—I thought I was going to lose another person I love again. I thought it was my punishment. My punishment for everything that I have done."

"You look just like her, you know." Makoto looked up at that and found his father already looking at him. "Your mother. You have her eyes." He sounded wistful. "She died holding you in her arms."

"She saw me?"

"She did. One of the things I'll be eternally grateful for was that she got to see you before she passed away.

His mother wouldn't have guess that they'd be in such a predicament eighteen years later. Makoto wondered how she looked like when she was holding him in her arms. Was she overjoyed? Or was she crying? He would never know. Makoto looked at his father. In some ways, he could see the resemblance between him and the man.  
"I still remember the day I gave you away." His father said. "It was raining. And you were crying." He exhaled shakily. "I thought losing your mother was the hardest thing of my life, but that was before I parted ways with you..."

Makoto stayed silent. His eyes trailed over to the wall, where a picture caught his eye. "Is that my mother?"

His father followed his gaze to the picture hanging on the wall. "Yes. That is your mother." He blinked, as though remembering something. He walked over to one of the drawers and took something out. "Here, I meant to give this to you."

Makoto stared. It was a picture of him as a baby. He was smiling straight at the camera, green eyes shining, brown hair all over the place. He looked to be only a few months old.

"That's you." His father breathed. "I've always kept it."

Makoto ran a gentle thumb across the picture. He looked back at the picture on the wall. At his mother's kind eyes. His father's protective yet loving stance as he stood beside the woman. They're happy, oblivious smiles.

"I forgive you." Makoto said quietly. He heard his father's sharp intake of breath. "My mother wouldn't have wanted us to be like this."

"Makoto..." His father looked like he was about to start crying again.

"It's going to take a while. I can't immediately forgive you and forget all the things I went through when I was growing up. That'll be too much to ask for."

"I understand." His father said softly, but he had a small smile on his face. He looked content. And happy.

" _Thank you_ , Makoto."

\------  
"Do you think that if I grew up in a pack, that things would be different?" Makoto piped up quietly one day when he and Sousuke were cuddled up in a heap of blankets on the couch, having their weekly movie night session.

"Hmm?" Makoto felt Sousuke shift behind him. He had his head reclined against Sousuke's chest, their legs a messy tangle under the pillows and sheets. "I honestly don't know how things might have turned out, but I do know one thing," he smiled when Makoto turned around and their eyes met. "I would still have met you."

"How can you be so sure?" Makoto asked. "Some mates never meet."

"No, but I was searching high and low for you. After spending a whole year trying to get over the fact that I was a vampire, I decided to look for my mate. I figured that it would be the only good thing about this curse. I spent literally every day of my life looking and I would have made sure to find you. Fate or not."

"Fate couldn't possibly compete with such a stubborn man." Makoto teased and Sousuke smirked in agreement, swooping down and pecking him on the lips.

"I'm glad," Makoto started quietly. "I'm glad you managed to escape from Kiba all those years ago. I can't even begin to imagine the pain you went through." He squeezed his eyes tightly. "It hurts just to think about it."

"Makoto..." Sousuke whispered and stroke his hair. "I'm glad I made it out of there too... or I would have never even stood a chance of meeting you."

"Maybe," Makoto leaned back, his eyes staring dreamily into space, "this really is fate after all."

\------  
"So now that I know that you guys are vampires," Makoto said one day when they were all hanging out in Sousuke's apartment. "Does this mean that I can make vampire jokes?"

"Not unless they're good vampire jokes." Haruka replied monotonously. He didn't even bat an eye or even look up from his laptop as he said that.

"Does this also mean I can make werewolf jokes on Makoto too?" Rin asked excitedly.

"Don't even think about it." Sousuke narrowed his eyes at Rin and pulled Makoto closer to him. "Only I can do that."

"Well that's not very fair." Rin pouted.

Just then Makoto's phone started ringing. His brows furrowed when he checked the screen. "It's my d-dad."

"Your dad?" Haru echoed.

Makoto answered the call and pressed the phone to his ear. Sousuke leaned in when he felt Makoto tensed up while he was listening to whatever was being said on the other side of the line.

"Okay." Makoto said, before he hung up and stared at his phone in a daze.

"Makoto, what is it?" Haru probed. "What did your dad say?"

"He—" Makoto cleared his throat. "He wants me to meet the pack."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, first of all, I'm so sorry for not posting and updating and keeping you all waiting. That was super irresponsible of me. I've just been super busy with uni and settling into a new country and all that. But I hope all of you are doing alright, and I hope the fact that I didn't kill of sousuke makes up for it (my weak attempts). Once again, thank you so much for reading this fic, and supporting me even though I've been so shitty at updating.


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